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Survey: Ophthalmologists gradually adopting EMRs
Development of terminology and standards will promote the large-scale dissemination of electronic medical records systems, authors say.
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A relatively small but satisfied group of ophthalmologists have adopted electronic medical records, and a significant number plan to adopt such systems soon, according to a recent survey.
Among early EMR adopters, 69% were satisfied or extremely satisfied with their systems and about half reported improved efficiency and cost savings, according to a study published in Ophthalmology.
Results of the American Academy of Ophthalmology member survey showed that 12% of responding practices had already implemented EMRs, 7% were adopting EMRs and 10% planned to adopt within 12 months.
The AAO’s Medical Information Technology Committee and Medical Group Management Association conducted the survey.
EMRs, also known as electronic health records, are computer platforms designed to improve health care efficiency, safety and quality by minimizing or eliminating paper records, proponents say.
“At least half of the participants were seriously considering the purchase of EHRs within the next 2 years,” corresponding author and AAO staff member Flora Lum, MD, said in a telephone interview with Ocular Surgery News. “That would be a huge change.”
EMR adoption rates in the AAO survey were similar to those of a survey reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Lum said. In the latter survey, 4% of respondents reported having extensive, fully-functional EMR systems and 13% reported having basic systems.
“This is the first survey we’ve ever done in ophthalmology,” she said. “It kind of tracks well, I think, with the overall trend.”
Tom Williams, executive director of the Integrated Health Care Association, cited a high satisfaction rate among survey respondents in light of administrative burdens related to EMR implementation.
“We find physicians in some groups burdened by additional administrative load required to populate EMR,” Mr. Williams told OSN in an e-mail interview. “Generally, we are seeing some groups use the EHR to enhance patient satisfaction through better physician and patient communication such as providing lab results via e-mail shortly after a visit.”
The AAO committee randomly selected 3,796 members to participate in the survey. EMR adopters ranked standardized vendor contracts among their top five options for simplifying the EMR selection process; non-adopters ranked EMR accreditation, the authors reported.
For more information:
- Flora Lum, MD, can be reached at P.O. Box 7424, 655 Beach St., San Francisco, CA 94120; 415-561-8592; e-mail: flum@aao.org.
- Tom Williams can be reached at IHA, 334 Thomas L. Berkley Way, Suite 350, Oakland, CA 94612; 510-208-1740; fax: 510-444-5842; e-mail: twilliams@iha.org.
References:
- Chiang MF, Boland MV, et al. Adoption and perceptions of electronic health record systems by ophthalmologists: an American Academy of Ophthalmology survey. Ophthalmology. 2008;115:1591-1597.
- DesRoches CN, Campbell EG, et al. Electronic health records in ambulatory care — a national survey of physicians. N Engl J Med. 2008;359:50-60.
- Matt Hasson is an OSN Staff Writer who covers all aspects of ophthalmology. He focuses on regulatory, legislative and practice management topics.