Financial incentives and potential penalties were the major influencers on most physicians’ decision to adopt electronic health records, according to a new report from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
Almost two-thirds (62%) of physicians cited the incentives/penalties established by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 as the major influence for adoption of EHRs.
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“We have seen a significant increase in the adoption and use of health IT systems among providers and the new data show the importance of incentives in building an interoperable health IT system,” Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Acting Assistant Secretary of Health and National Coordinator for Health IT, said in a statement.
Two other big factors for adoption, according to the report: Thirty-nine percent said because it was a requirement for board certification, and 37% said because trusted colleagues were using EHRs.
The vast majority of physicians (81%) said they currently were using an EHR or planned to adopt one. Doctors in large or multispecialty practices had the highest rates of adoption and the lowest numbers of those who said they would never have an EHR.
Solo practice physicians (44%) and surgical specialists (32%) were those most likely to have not adopted an EHR and to have no plans to do so.
The biggest reasons for not having an EHR were a lack of money, time, or staff, along with privacy concerns.
Of physicians who were not currently using EHRs, 51% said that incentive payments or financial penalties would be a major driver for adoption, 46% said technical assistance with adoption would be a motivator, and 44% said that having EHRs as a requirement for board certification would fuel adoption.
“It’s no surprise that incentives have helped drive adoption of health information technology,” said Dr. Robert Wergin, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Dr. Wergin noted that physicians can’t pass on infrastructure costs to patients, so “incentives to help defray the cost of that infrastructure helped make health information technology adoption possible.”
The report is based on the 2011-2013 Physician Workflow Survey, a component of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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