EHR adoption crosses 50% threshold

Results from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) show that between 2009 and 2010, the percentage of physicians reporting having an electronic medical record/electronic health record (EMR/EHR) system that meets the criteria of a basic system increased by 14% and a fully functional system increased by 46%.

The survey, published earlier this month and conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), found that preliminary 2010 estimates were that 51% of physicians reported using complete or partial EMR/EHR systems, versus 48% last year. About 25% reported having systems that met the criteria of a basic system, up from 22% last year, and 10% reported having systems that met the criteria of a fully functional system, an improvement from 2009 when 7% said they were using systems that met the requirements of a fully functional EHR/EMR system.