Despite increasing levels of electronic availability of patient medical records from outside sources, most hospitals still use physical methods such as mail and fax to share patient health information, according to ONC data.
For its State of Interoperability among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals report, ONC analyzed data from the American Hospital Association Information Technology Supplement to the AHA Annual Survey.
The electronic availability of patient health information from outside sources rose 10 percent in 2018, resulting in more than half of hospitals having access to patient EHR data at the point of care.
In 2018, hospitals used the following non third-party methods to send and receive care records summaries with sources outside their organizations:
· Mail or fax: 71 percent to send; 76 percent to receive.
· eFax using EHR: 66 percent to send; 52 percent to receive.
· Provider portal: 49 percent to send; 37 percent to receive.
· EHR interface connection: 42 percent to send; 30 percent to receive.
· Remote or terminal direct EHR access: 37 percent to send; 26 percent to receive.
Hospitals used the following third-party methods to send and receive care record summaries with sources outside their organizations:
· Standalone health information service provider: 61 percent to send; 49 percent to receive.
· State, regional or local health information organization: 59 percent to send; 46 percent to receive.
· Single EHR vendor network: 43 percent to send; 41 percent to receive.
· Multi-EHR vendor network: 35 percent to send; 32 percent to receive.
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