The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a statement providing statistics on the increased adoption of electronic medical record software. The numbers of healthcare providers switching to electronic records is promising, but there are issues arising about the requirements for Phase 2 Meaningful Use.
Increasing rate of EMR adoption
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected data from hospitals and healthcare providers across the country about the transition to EMR systems. According to the study, published in the journal Health Affairs, 78 percent of smaller practices and 59 percent of hospitals use electronic records. Approximately half of all physicians reported having an advanced EMR system, which is double the adoption rate reported in 2009.
“Patients are seeing the benefits of health IT as a result of the significant strides that have been made in the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records,” said Karen DeSalvo, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology. “We look forward to working with our partners to ensure that people’s digital health information follows them across the care continuum so it will be there when it matters most.”
Meaningful Use Phase 2 proving problematic
While these adoption rates are encouraging, many practices and hospitals reported having trouble meeting the criteria for Phase 2 of Meaningful Use.
According to the study, only 39 percent of physicians reported being able to share electronic files with other providers. Just 14 percent had the ability to share data with hospitals outside of their organization. Many large hospitals are facing the challenge of allowing patients access to electronic data. Only 10 percent of hospitals reported they met Phase 2’s view, download and transmit (VDT) requirement.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is working to create helpful tools for providers trying to meet Phase 2 requirements. There are 32 support centers funded by the ONC that can help practices meet guidelines for clinical quality improvement, transitions of care, care coordination, and the privacy and security requirements. Providers seeking to meet the VDT prerequisite can use online sharing tools to engage patients. Webinars, user guides and tip sheets on Phase 2 requirements are available online.
