Electronic records lag at hospitals US doesn't pay for tech upgrades

Psychiatric, long-term care and rehabilitation hospitals that don't qualify for U.S. subsidies to adopt electronic medical records aren't upgrading to this technology as quickly as hospitals that receive cash incentives, a recent study suggests. "In the U.S., healthcare is currently delivered in silos," said lead study author Daniel Walker of The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus. "As patients move across the healthcare system, their record does not move with them – leading to poor care coordination, cost escalation, and quality and safety issues," Walker added by email.