New Data Shows Heavy EHR Adoption Investment Prior to HITECH Act

July 01, 2020 - A new report published in the Journal of Informatics in Health and Biomedicine (JAMIA) is challenging the statistic that only 9 percent of hospitals had completed a basic EHR adoption by 2008, a key figure on which the 2009 HITECH act hinged.

In fact, 73 percent of hospitals had started EHR adoption in 2008, and the majority of hospitals had implemented six of the 10 basic EHR components. This mean, the number of hospitals beginning their EHR journey was far greater than the 9 percent figure that has been the original baseline for “basic” EHR adoption when crafting HITECH, the study authors argued.

More specifically, 30 percent of hospitals may have adopted a “basic” EHR and 58 percent of hospitals were on their way toward “basic” EHR adoption.