Very few hospitals boast comprehensive EHR systems

According to a report released by the New England Journal of Medicine, just 1.5 percent of nonfederal hospitals in the United States. use what was referred to as a "comprehensive" electronic health record system. The report also stated that 7.6 percent of hospitals use a "basic" EHR system that can record and store physician and nurse notes, while 10.9 percent of hospitals use a basic system that cannot store notes. 

Still, the survey found that 75 percent of hospitals do utilize electronic lab and radiology systems. 

Ashish Jha, the study's lead author and a professor at Harvard School of Public Health, said the study did not delve into the use of technologies, nor did it touch on the sharing of data with other providers. "Just because they have these systems doesn't mean they are sharing that information with other doctors or hospitals down the street," Jha said. 

The survey did not include data gathered on the Veteran's Affairs hospitals, all of which are adopting comprehensive medical records; when those numbers were added back into the equation, the number of hospitals using comprehensive EHRs increased to 2.9 percent. 

"There are as many VA hospitals with comprehensive medical records as there are non-VA hospitals [with those systems] if you look at it numerically," Jha said. 

To learn more:
- here's the Modern Healthcare article

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