EHR Adoption Climbing, But Some States Falling Behind

The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is an annual nationally representative survey of patient visits to office-based physicians that collects information on use of electronic health record (EHR). The latest NCHS Data Brief from CDC shows improvement in overall adoption of EHR's this past year, but some states are starting to fall behind and there are some disturbing signs that many physicians are either unsure or opting not to participate in the EHR Incentive Program. Some key findings in the latest survey include:

• In 2013, 78% of office-based physicians used any type of EHR system, up from 18% in 2001.
• In 2013, 48% of office-based physicians reported having a system that met the criteria for a basic system, up from 11% in 2006. The percentage of physicians with basic systems by state ranged from 21% in New Jersey to 83% in North Dakota.
• In 2013, 69% of office-based physicians reported that they intended to participate (i.e., they planned to apply or already had applied) in meaningful use incentives. About 13% of all office-based physicians reported that they both intended to participate in meaningful use incentives and had EHR systems with the capabilities to support 14 of the Stage 2 Core Set objectives for meaningful use.
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