Surveys say 41% of physicians plan to adopt EHR

A desire to qualify for federal incentive payments is an important motivator for yea-sayers

Senior Editor

Forty-one percent of office-based physicians intend to take advantage of federal incentive payments for adoption and meaningful use of certified electronic health records (EHR), according to survey data released by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). In addition, four fifths of the nation’s hospitals plan to adopt EHR. Survey data were released as the registration period opened for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

These survey numbers represent a reversal of the low interest in EHR adoption in previous years, commented David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. He credited leadership from the medical community and the federal government for the improved prospects for adoption and use of health information technology (health IT).