Slightly more than half of office-based physicians in the U.S. report using electronic health records in their practices, a slight increase over last year, according to preliminary results of a survey by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, United Press International reports.
Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHRs can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
For the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, researchers surveyed more than 10,300 physicians by mail and telephone from April through July of this year (United Press International, 12/9).
Key Results
For the survey, an EHR system was defined as being all or partially electronic (CDC report, December 2010).
The survey found that 50.7% of physicians reported using all or partial EHR systems for patient files in their practices. That figure is up from 48.3% in 2009.
This year, nearly 25% of survey respondents said their systems met criteria for a “basic” system, while 10.1% said their systems met criteria of a “fully functional” system. Both of these rates are higher than last year’s 21.8% and 6.9%, respectively, according to the survey (United Press International, 12/9).
System Features
A basic EHR system was defined as having the ability to:
- View imaging and lab results;
- View medication lists; and
- Perform other duties (McKinney, Modern Healthcare, 12/10).
A fully functional EHR system was defined as having the ability to:
- Electronically order tests;
- Provide drug interaction warnings; and
- Perform other duties (CDC report, December 2010).
Variations Across U.S.
The survey found widespread variation for EHR adoption among states. The percentage of physicians by state reporting use of a basic EHR system ranged from 12.5% to 51.5%, according to the survey (United Press International, 12/9).
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