News Feature | May 26, 2014

3 Of 4 Doctors Use EHRs

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

EHR Usage Increasing

A recently released report from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics says the number of physicians using electronic health records has more than doubled.

Data from 2007 to 2012 has been compiled by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics for its latest report, Trends in Electronic Health Record System Use Among Office-based Physicians. According to the report, the number of physicians using EHRs has more than doubled.

In 2007, less than 35 percent of providers had switched to electronic records, but by 2012, 72 percent had transitioned. As recently as 2013, 78 percent of physicians had changed to EHRs according to Esther Hing, a statistician at CDC's U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. "We are reaching nearly all the doctors,” says Hing, who attributes this in part to federal government incentives.

“The federal government has been encouraging adoption of health information technology by physicians and hospitals for the last decade. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs authorized by the 2009 HITECH Act provide incentive payments to health care providers that demonstrate ‘meaningful use’ of certified EHR systems,” explains the report. “Starting in 2011, eligible Medicare physicians could receive up to $44,000 over five years. Eligible Medicaid physicians could receive up to $63,000 over a six-year period.”

Other interesting results of the report, summarized by iHealth Beat, include:

  • 66 percent of primary care physicians used EHRs in 2012
  • 76 percent of EHR users were female, compared with 70 percent who were male
  • physicians ages 65 and older saw the biggest growth in EHR adoption rates, increasing from 19 percent in 2007 to 54 percent in 2012

"Medicine is entering the 21st century at long last," Dr. David Blumenthal, president of the Commonwealth Fund, told Health Day. "Despite the fact that it's hard for many individuals - especially those in solo practice, especially older physicians and nurses - despite the fact that it's hard for them and the systems aren't perfect, we are on the way toward the information age in medicine. We are finally getting there.

"I have absolutely no question that there will be a payoff in terms of patient care.”