Most Docs Approve of Electronic Records, Survey Finds

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John Pulley By John Pulley

By John Pulley

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Eighty-five percent of physicians are either very or somewhat satisfied with their EHR.

  However, fewer than one-third said the EHR helped them identify when lab tests were needed, and only one-fourth said they had communicated with patients via their EHR in the previous 30 days. Mostashari says his office is addressing those issues through an initiative to send lab results directly to EHRs, and through proposed for Stage 2 meaningful use intended to promote standards-based information exchange and patient engagement. Both will become more important under accountable care organization payment models, he says. “While more work certainly needs to be done, today’s data shows that most physicians are satisfied with their EHRs and believe that their systems provide tangible benefits for patients today,” Mostashari writes. “This will only increase as physicians become more skilled at using their systems and systems continue to evolve to support additional capabilities.”

Only 15 percent of health care providers who have adopted electronic health records are unhappy with workflow challenges and other commonly heard complaints about EHRs, the national coordinator for health IT says.
 
In a blog post filed Tuesday, Dr. Farzad Mostashari says analysis of the Centers for Disease Control’s 2011 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey shows that 85 percent of physicians surveyed said they were either very or somewhat satisfied with their EHR, while 74 percent said their EHR enhanced overall patient care in the previous 30 days. About 71 percent said they would purchase their EHR system again, Mostashari says.
 
The National Center for Health Statistics analyzed the survey data to reveal that:
 

  • Half of physicians with EHRs said the computerized system alerted them to abnormal lab results.
  • More than 40 percent said the system alerted them to potential errors in medications.
  • Nearly 75 percent said they had accessed patient charts remotely in the previous 30 days.



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