Four-fifths of U.S. hospitals and 41% of office-based physicians intend to take advantage of incentive payments from the U.S. government for adoption and meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology, according to survey data from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
The data come from surveys commissioned by ONC and carried out in the course of regular annual surveillance by the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), an agency of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In particular, the AHA survey found that 81% of hospitals plan to achieve meaningful use of EHRs and take advantage of incentive payments, according to ONC. Sixty-five percent of hospitals said they will enroll in the initial 2011 to 2012 period.
As well, additional survey data from NCHS show that significantly increasing numbers of primary care physicians have already adopted a basic EHR, rising by 50%, from 19.8% of primary care physicians in 2008 to 29.6% in 2010.
Related Reading
CMS begins EHR online registration, January 4, 2011
ONC releases final IT certification rule, January 4, 2011
CCHIT requests comment on certification, November 23, 2010
CCHIT launches EHR certification program, November 11, 2010
CCHIT certifies 33 EHR products, October 4, 2010
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