Sixty-eight percent of hospitals implemented electronic health records, either partially or fully, in 2006, according to the American Hospital Association survey of hospital IT use. Only 11% of hospitals have fully implemented EHRs, and they are typically large, urban, and/or teaching hospitals. Last year, 46% of community hospitals reported a “moderate or high use” of health IT, compared with 37% in 2005. Computerized physician order entry was being used at least half the time by physicians to order medications at 10% of hospitals, while physicians used CPOE to place orders for lab and other tests at least half the time at 16% of hospitals. Computerized drug interaction alerts made significant inroads at hospitals, with 51% of hospitals using the technology in 2006 compared with 23% in 2005. “Accelerating adoption among all kinds of hospitals will require a shared investment between providers, payers, and purchasers,” says the report.
