Utilization of Technology by Long-Term Care Providers

OBJECTIVE: We examine ownership differences in the use of technology in long-term care facilities. METHOD: We analyze two nationally representative surveys of administrators collected by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC): the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey and the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities. RESULTS: We find that nonprofit nursing homes are more likely to use some computerized administrative functions and digital laboratory reports, and report use rates similar to for-profit organizations in other areas of health IT. Nonprofit residential care facilities are more likely to use electronic medical records and information exchange systems than their for-profit counterparts. In addition, nonprofit residential care facilities are more likely than for-profit facilities to digitize more types of information and use larger health information exchange networks. DISCUSSION: The reasons for which nonprofit long-term care organizations report higher levels of some types of technology utilization are explored, and future research is recommended.