A national survey of 2,758 physicians in 2008 found that fewer than one in five doctors have adopted electronic medical record systems in their office practices:
| 4% use full systems |
13% use basic systems |
83% no systems |
Doctors in large practices more likely to use EMRs
Number of
physicians
in practice |
Full system |
Basic system |
| 1-3 |
2% |
7% |
| 4-5 |
3% |
11% |
| 6-10 |
6% |
17% |
| 11-50 |
8% |
22% |
| More than 50 |
17% |
33% |
DEFINITIONS
Full systems: Patient history and medications; ordering prescriptions, lab work and radiology tests; viewing lab results and radiology images; warnings for drug interactions and unusual test results; and reminders for tests and other preventative care.
Basic systems: Patient history, medications and clinical notes; viewing lab results, images; prescription orders.
Doctors with full EMR systems say their patients can:
63% Request refills for prescriptions online
52% Request appointments online
50% View their medical records online
36% Request referrals online
26% Make changes to or update their records online
Doctors with EMRs say the system helped them:
90% Learn of a critical laboratory value
80% Prevent a drug allergy
71% Prevent a potentially dangerous medication interaction
69% Provide preventative care
68% Order a critical laboratory test
17% Order a genetic test
Doctors without EMR systems say the major obstacles include:
66% Capital costs
54% Unable to find a system to meet needs
50% Uncertainty about return on investment
44% The system becoming obsolete
41% Loss of productivity during transition
Source: "Electronic Health Records in Ambulatory Care - A National Survey of Physicians" in The New England Journal of Medicine (July 3, 2008)