Use and characteristics of electronic health record systems among office-based physician practices: United States, 2001-2012

Abstract

The 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, also known as the HITECH Act, authorized incentive payments through the Medicare and Medicaid programs to increase physician adoption of electronic health record (EHR) systems (1,2). To receive an EHR incentive payment, physicians must show that they are "meaningfully using" certified EHRs by meeting certain objectives (3,4). This report describes trends in adoption of electronic medical record or electronic health record (EMR/EHR) systems from 2001 to 2012, as well as physicians' intent to participate in the EHR Incentive Programs and their readiness to meet 13 of the Stage 1 Core Set objectives for "meaningful use" in 2012, the second year of the incentive programs. Data are reported from the 2012 mail survey of physicians in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and earlier years of NAMCS.