National Health IT Coordinator Dr. David Blumenthal is encouraged by the steady increase in adoption of  EHR/EMR systems in physician practices.

A recent CDC survey shows that use of basic and fully functional EHR/EMR systems is on the rise. In 2007, only 17 percent of office-based physicians were using basic and fully functional systems. In 2008, that figure rose to 21 percent, and preliminary numbers for 2009 stand at 27 percent.

“As a physician who trained and initially practiced in a time where nearly every order, record, and prescription was paper-based, the results are striking to me,” Blumental wrote in his blog, Health IT Buzz.

The CDC report is based on results from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Dr. David Bumenthal, National Coordinator for Health IT

While trends are moving in the right direction, there is still a lot of work to do to get the majority of physician practices to the point where they can qualify to receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) incentive funds. To receive those  funds, they need to meet 25 objectives for “meaningful use” through the use of a certified EHR — a level that only physicians with a fully functional system are meeting.

The users of partial EHR/EMR systems, and even those with basic EHR/EMR systems, will need to enable more functionality in their systems to meet all the objectives.

EHR/EMR companies are working closely with customers to update systems and add the functionality required for ARRA certification. Cardiac Science maintains partnerships with leading EHR/EMR companies that cover more than 60 percent of the market, giving our HeartCentrix and Pyramis customers access to the best EHR/EMR options available.

Please contact us for more information on EHR/EMR options with Allscripts, eClinicalWorks, GEMMS, Greenway, MEDENT, MicroMD, NextGen, Sage Software, and more.

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