Doctors who go digital do appear to provide significantly better health care, researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

The US government has introduced incentives worth up to $29 billion for “meaningful” use of EHRs

American hospitals have doubled their usage of electronic health records over the last two years

American Journal of Managed Careelectronic health records use only had a “limited” effect on improving medical care quality in American hospitals







those with electronic health records provided superior health care services compared to the paper-records ones


Electronic medical record
Overall, electronic health record usage leads to better health care services, the researchers found



“We found that EHR use is associated with higher quality ambulatory care in a multi-payer community with concerted efforts to support EHR implementation. In contrast to several recent national and statewide studies, which found no effect of EHR use, this study’s finding is consistent with national efforts to promote meaningful use of EHRs.”

the vast majority of doctors believe electronic exchange of health data will have a positive impact on improving patient-care quality



“The exchange of patient health information across care settings is a critical component to the success of the new models to improve care, such as the patient-centered medical home. ACP agrees with the 78 percent of survey respondents who believe that exchanging health information will have a positive effect on clinicians’ ability to meet the demands of these new care models.”

  • Lack of interoperability
  • Lack of an information exchange infrastructure
  • Costs – setting up and maintaining interfaces and exchanges are not cheap

they are happy for their data to be shared electronically, as long as their privacy is respected







The video by HealthIT.gov below explains the advantages of electronic health records