More Physicians Using Electronic Medical Records

For Immediate Release: July 21, 2006

Contact: CDC National Center for Health Statistics Press Office (301) 458-4800

E-mail: paoquery@cdc.gov

Electronic Medical Record Use by Office-Based Physicians: United States, 2005. Health E-Stat.

CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics is issuing a new Health E-Stat today entitled “Electronic Medical Record Use by Office-based Physicians: United States, 2005.”

The E-Stat is the latest look at the growing trend towards electronic record-keeping in the medical community. Some of the key findings in the report include:

• Nearly 1 in 4 (23.9 percent) physicians reported using full or partial electronic medical records (EMRs) in their office-based practice in 2005 -- a 31 percent increase from the 18.2 percent reported in 2001.
• Physicians in the Midwest (26.9 percent)and West (33.4 percent) were more likely to use EMRs than those in the Northeast (14.4 percent).
• Physicians in metropolitan statistical areas (nearly 24.8 percent) were more likely to use EMRs than were those in non-metropolitan areas (16.9).
• Only 1 in 10 (9.3 percent) physicians, however, used EMRs with all four of the basic functions (computerized orders for prescriptions, computerized orders for tests, reporting of test results, and physician notes) considered necessary for a complete EMR system.