E-Records Improve Care, But Cost Discourages Doctors

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.” (More medical records stories.)