Study finds digital divide in advanced use of EHRs

About 80.5% of hospitals had adopted at least a basic electronic health record in 2015, up from 75.2% in 2014, according to a study reported online last month by the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Based on the Information Technology Supplement to the AHA Survey, the study also looks at advanced use of EHRs and EHR data for performance measurement and patient engagement functions. “Of concern, [critical access hospitals] were less likely to be engaged in at least eight of each set of functions,” note the authors, who include AHA staff. “This suggests the emergence of a digital ‘advanced use’ divide that may require new policy efforts to ensure that all hospitals translate EHR adoption into improved patient outcomes.”