Electronic health records are widely used by California physicians, but many of their systems are not designed to meet federal standards aimed at improvising quality of healthcare, according to the report "On the Road to Meaningful Use of EHRs: A Survey of California Physicians." The report summarizes findings from a 2011 survey conducted by University of California San Francisco, in collaboration with the California Medical Board, for the California HealthCare Foundation and the California Department of Health Care Services.
Some of the key findings from the report include:
• Seventy-one percent of physicians surveyed have an EHR system, but only 30 percent have EHRs configured to meet all 12 of the meaningful use objectives measured in the study.
• Rates of EHR availability are lowest among physician solo practitioners, small partnerships and community/public clinics. Office-based physicians are less likely to have EHRs than those in hospitals, and rural physicians are less likely to have them than urban physicians.
• Most physicians are not familiar with the eligibility rules for the Medi-Cal EHR incentive payment programs, a program created to incentivize health providers to "meaningfully use" EHRs. A substantial percentage of survey respondents who are eligible for the payment program believe they are not eligible, do not plan to apply or need further information before deciding to apply. At the same time, a number of respondents who plan to apply do not appear to be eligible.
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Some of the key findings from the report include:
• Seventy-one percent of physicians surveyed have an EHR system, but only 30 percent have EHRs configured to meet all 12 of the meaningful use objectives measured in the study.
• Rates of EHR availability are lowest among physician solo practitioners, small partnerships and community/public clinics. Office-based physicians are less likely to have EHRs than those in hospitals, and rural physicians are less likely to have them than urban physicians.
• Most physicians are not familiar with the eligibility rules for the Medi-Cal EHR incentive payment programs, a program created to incentivize health providers to "meaningfully use" EHRs. A substantial percentage of survey respondents who are eligible for the payment program believe they are not eligible, do not plan to apply or need further information before deciding to apply. At the same time, a number of respondents who plan to apply do not appear to be eligible.
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