How to make electronic medical records a reality

Only about 17% of the nation's physicians are using computerized patient records, according to a government-sponsored survey published last year in The New England Journal of Medicine. That market failure is a principal target of the Obama administration’s plan: A main feature of the legislation calls for incentive payments of more than $40,000 spread over a few years for a physician who buys and uses electronic health records. A crucial bridge to success, according to experts, will be how local organizations help doctors in small offices adopt and use electronic records.