Although nearly 24% of office-based physicians report using an electronic medical report--a 32% increase from 2001--only one in 10 physicians is using a full electronic health record, characterized by computerized orders for prescriptions and tests and the reporting of tests results and physician notes. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that physicians in the Midwest (26.9%) and West (33.4%) had a higher EHR adoption rate than physicians in the Northeast (14.4%). “Although these estimates show that progress has been made toward the goal of universal electronic health records, there is still a long way to go,” according to the survey report. Solo practitioners--one-third of all physicians--lag in EHR use, for example, and the EHR features of public health reporting and clinical reminders are not yet widely used.
