Many physician practices have implemented and are using electronic health records, though some struggles still exist, according to a survey of 1,219 physicians conducted by Physicians Practice.
The adoption and implementation of EHRs was ranked as the top concern for physician practices.
Physicians' most pressing information technology issue:
EHR adoption and implementation (18.8 percent)
Costs to implement and use new technology (16.9 percent)
Meeting meaningful use requirements (10 percent)
IT and technical support (9.7 percent)
Keeping up with new technologies (8.5 percent)
Resistance to technology adoption by physicians or staff (6.8 percent)
Record keeping (6.3 percent)
Training staff (5.2 percent)
Communicating with other departments/healthcare (4.8 percent)
Billing (4.4 percent)
Communicating with patients (4.1 percent)
Other (4.6 percent)
A majority of physician practices (62.6 percent) either has a fully implemented EHR system, or is using a system provided by a hospital or corporate parent, though costs, usage and meaningful use attestation varied among these groups.
EHR implementation
My practice has a fully implemented EHR (45.3 percent)
My practice does not currently have an EHR (23.6 percent)
My practice uses an EHR selected and provided by a hospital or our corporate parent (17.3 percent)
My practice has selected an EHR, or our corporate parent has, but it is not yet fully implemented (13.8 percent)
The costs of EHR software varied among the practices reporting having already implemented a system.
About how much did you pay for your EHR software, per physician?
Less than $500 per physician (11.6 percent)
$500 to $2,000 (16 percent)
$2,001 to $5,000 (17 percent)
$5,001 to $7,000 (14.3 percent)
$7,001 to $10,000 (17 percent)
More than 10,000 (24.1 percent)
EHR usage among providers and staff:
Everyone is using the EHR who should be (88.1 percent)
Some providers have refused to switch to the new system (5.2 percent)
Some providers are struggling, but are trying to use the EHR (6.7 percent)
Exactly half of physicians surveyed said their EHR was accessible on a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device.
The physicians surveyed reported moderate satisfaction with their current EHR vendor.
Satisfaction with EHR vendor:
Very satisfied, would recommend (14 percent)
Satisfied (39.7 percent)
In the middle. Our vendor is mediocre. (32.8 percent)
Dissatisfied (9.4 percent)
Very dissatisfied. I would switch to another vendor if I could. (4.1 percent)
Workflow and return-on-investment issues remain for many physicians.
Has the EHR made your practice's workflow more efficient overall?
Yes (56.9 percent)
No, it's worse (26.5 percent)
It's about the same (16.6 percent)
Have you seen a return on investment as a result of your EHR?
No (57.2 percent)
Yes (42.8 percent)
Most physicians have received meaningful use stage 1 payments, or expect to.
Have you successfully attested to meaningful use stage 1?
Yes (61.7 percent)
No, we failed to meet government requirements, and do not expect to get stimulus money. (14.3 percent)
No, but we're making adjustments and expect to eventually receive stimulus dollars (I24 percent)
The majority of respondents have not taken significant steps towards preparing for meaningful use stage 2.
Have you started preparing for meaningful use stage 2?
No. We don't plan on attesting (13.6 percent)
Not yet. We're still focused on stage 1 (28.7 percent)
A bit. We're familiarizing ourselves with the requirements but have not done much beyond that (32.4 percent)
Yes. We have reviewed the requirements and are taking action (25.3 percent)
Among physician practices without an EHR, incentive payments may not be enough to encourage adoption.
Are you more likely to purchase an EHR now that the government has made payments to practices that can help defray the purchase price?
No (54.3 percent)
Yes (45.7 percent)
More Articles on EHR Adoption:
6 Most Commonly Used EHR Features
6 Statistics on EHR Adoption
Study: EHRs Linked to Cost Savings in Outpatient Settings