Business
What's behind the drive for electronic records
■ An occasional snapshot of current facts and trends in medicine.
Quick View. Posted Aug. 23, 2004
Improving clinical workflow and patient care are the leading factors moving physicians, hospitals and other providers to implement EMRs.
| Motivation | Hospital respondents | Ambulatory respondents | All respondents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Improve clinical processes or workflow | 84% | 87% | 85% |
| Improve quality of care | 79% | 86% | 83% |
| Share patient information among health care professionals | 88% | 70% | 80% |
| Reduce medical errors | 81% | 70% | 76% |
| Improve clinical data capture | 68% | 67% | 68% |
| Improve documentation to support billing | 58% | 78% | 68% |
| Provide access to patient records at remote locations | 62% | 68% | 65% |
| Facilitate clinical decision support | 69% | 54% | 63% |
| Meet legal, regulatory and accreditation standards | 49% | 56% | 54% |
| Contain/reduce costs | 47% | 57% | 52% |
| Obtain a competitive advantage | 47% | 60% | 51% |
The Sixth Annual (2004) Survey of Electronic Health Record Trends and Usage asked physician, hospital and other provider organizations what factors were driving the need for an electronic record within their organizations; there were about 440 respondents to this year's survey. The question this year combined two questions from previous years, so results could not be compared.
Source: Medical Records Institute
Copyright © 2004 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
