Medical Records: Rate of EHR adoption remains sluggish

An electronic health record system in every medical practice. It's a worthy goal, and one supported by President Bush and countless physicians and IT experts in the healthcare community. But the pace of progress has been excruciatingly slow, according to a recent report from AMNews, which cited several studies showing that just a fraction of physicians possess a minimally functioning EHR-one on which doctors can record and manage progress notes, order tests and track results, and prescribe medications. Barriers to widespread implementation include cost (and an associated low rate of return for physician practices), resistance from older doctors, and a dearth of interoperability standards, AMNews says.