More than two-thirds of hospitals, 68%, had either partially or fully implemented EHRs in 2006, with large, urban and teaching hospitals more likely than their counterparts to have fully comprehensive systems, according to a survey of more than 1,500 community hospitals released today by the American Hospital Association.
Overall, more medical staff say they take advantage of health information technology as well. According to the report, 46% of community hospital staffs report moderate or high use of health IT components to view test results, review clinical alerts and to order prescription medicines, compared to 37% in 2005. Moreover, the use of computerized physician order entry has also grown, with doctors at 10% of the nation’s hospitals now routinely ordering medications electronically.
But the data also showed that financial constraints continue to be the greatest barrier to adoption. The report outlines how hospitals that have greater financial resources tend to be the ones with more fully recognized health IT components.
