30% of Surveyed Doctors Have Adopted EHRs That Meet MU Requirements

Thirty percent of surveyed health care providers said they have implemented  an electronic health record system that meets the requirements of the meaningful  use program, according to a recent survey by The Doctors Company, a  medical malpractice insurer, FierceEMR reports (Hirsch, FierceEMR,  3/8).

Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who  demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can  qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.

Survey Details

For the survey, researchers sent questionnaires asking physicians about their  views on EHR adoption and other health care issues.

The results are based on responses from 5,105 doctors in all 50 states.

Findings on EHR Adoption

The survey found that 30% of respondents said they already have adopted an  EHR system that meets meaningful use criteria, while 14.3% said they plan to  adopt an EHR system that meets meaningful use criteria within the next three  years. Seventeen percent said they have no plans to adopt an EHR system.

The survey also found that:

• 21.5% of respondents said they use a computer system for billing and  scheduling, but it lacks key features of an EHR system; and
• 8% said they only use a hospital-based EHR system (The Doctors Company report, 2/29).

Top States for EHR Adoption

Researchers also examined EHR adoption rates among surveyed physicians by  state. They found that the top five states for EHR adoption are:

• Oregon, with 41% of surveyed physicians having implemented an EHR system;
• Georgia, with 39% having implemented an EHR system;
• Florida, with 37% having implemented an EHR system;
• Washington, with 35% having implemented an EHR system; and
• Virginia, with 34% having implemented an EHR system (Manos, Healthcare IT News, 3/2).

Source: iHealthBeat

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