The Impact of Health Information Technology Investment on Financial Performance with the Mediating Role of Business Process in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Province Hospitals

Abstract

Background: The acceptance rate of electronic health recording systems has increased significantly, so that development of this technology in the medical sector has caused a huge change in the health care system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of investment in health information technology on financial performance with the mediating role of business process in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad hospitals in Iran. Methods: This applied and descriptive-causal study was conducted with an analytical approach. According to Morgan Table, the sample size was estimated as 384 individuals. The research instrument was a 31-item standard questionnaire validated using face validity, convergent reliability, divergent reliability, Cronbach's alpha reliability, and compound reliability. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling were applied by Smart PLS and SPSS 20 software. Results: In this study, 9 research hypotheses were confirmed by path analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Based on the findings, investing in health information technology (p = 3.647) and path coefficient (p = 0.237) had a significant effect on financial performance. The overall business process (0.477) plays a mediating role in the path between these 2 variables. The research model had a suitable fit. Conclusion: Health information technology can increase the safety and efficiency of information, improve public health, ensure the privacy of the patients, and increase the assets' efficiency by reducing costs.