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E-Records Improve Care, But Cost Discourages Doctors

Posted Jun 19, 08 3:37 PM CDT in Science & Health,  Technology 

(Newser) – Doctors aren’t using electronic health records, though they lead to better care, a study reports. Why? The costs are prohibitive, especially for small private practices. E-records do bring savings—but for insurers and hospitals, not doctors who invest in them. The government is experimenting with financial incentives for doctors to switch over, the New York Times notes.

Of doctors using e-records, 82% said they improved the quality of clinical decisions, 86% said they helped avoid medication mistakes and 85% said they improved preventive care. “I am doing a better job with the patients I am seeing,” said one doctor who started using electronic records almost 2 years ago. “It almost forces you to be a better doctor.”

Source New York Times

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Under Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce for Technology Robert C. Cresanti (left) presented an innovation award to MEDecision Founder/CEO David St.Clair for the company's electronic...   (AP Photo)
Eight-month-old Sean Frank pulls on the stethoscope of Dr. Morton Cowan, left, during an exam at the UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007.   (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Doctors say electronic health records help improve care, but few are adopting them.   (Getty Images)
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