Oracle: EHRs gain momentum
A survey shows that 77 percent of health care providers plan to implement electronic health records.
The electronic health record may be gaining ground.
That’s the conclusion from an Oracle survey of 364 health care providers and their EHR initiatives. The study found that 77 percent of providers plan to implement EHRs, and 85 percent of that group expects to complete deployment within five years.
Mychelle Mowry, Oracle’s vice president for Global Health Industries, said the survey results indicate “very positive momentum in the direction of electronic data.”
President Bush has called for the widespread adoption of EHRs by 2014. In November 2005, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded four contracts under its Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) program, which seeks to promote the development of EHR systems and networks. Accenture, Computer Sciences Corp., IBM, and Northrop Grumman hold the NHIN contracts. Oracle is on Accenture’s team.
As for provider market segments, the Oracle study found that 92 percent of the clinics and community health organizations surveyed plan to implement EHRs. Physician practice groups and hospitals/health care systems follow with 86 percent of both groups reporting plans to deploy EHRs.