Some Medical Providers Slow To Adopt Electronic Records, Prescribing

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"Digital medical records could cut down on office visits," and maybe even health care costs, Marketplace reports. "But for doctors, going electronic could be complicated and expensive. And nothing at all like what they learned in medical school." Relatively few doctors have made the switch so far, though new government incentives, funded by the stimulus bill, could shift the industry into gear. The doctors who have pioneered e-health have confronted a newish industry with few standards. One recalled that his early adoption of the records in 2003 was "a disaster," though he is now touted as an example for other practices (Carroll, 7/20).

An e-health company recently found that doctors in Ohio lag far behind industry leaders in adopting one new piece of technology, electronic prescribing, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Surescripts, the nation's top e-prescription network, said in a report that only 4.67 percent of Ohio prescriptions are electronically routed, compared with 20 percent in Massachusetts, the nation's leader (Wu, 7/21).

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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