EHR surveys show progress and concerns

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology last month released 2010 data showing 81 percent of hospitals and 41 percent of office-based physicians plan to take advantage of Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for adoption and meaningful use of certified electronic health records (EHR) technology. However, initial findings from an American Hospital Association (AHA) survey conducted this year show less than 2 percent of hospitals can actually meet the EHR certification and meaningful use requirements at this time. While applauding the work of hospitals to implement EHRs, AHA Executive Vice President Rick Pollack said the newer data "reflect the practical challenges hospitals face in revamping their EHR systems to be certified and meet the high bar set for meaningful use under a very challenging time frame."

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