Electronic Health Records (EHRs) have revolutionized the healthcare industry by providing a more streamlined and efficient way to manage patient data.
The use of EHRs has become increasingly widespread, and as a result, there is a growing interest in the statistics and trends associated with EHR adoption, usage, and impact.
In this blog post, we will explore EHR statistics that cover a wide range of topics related to the use of electronic health records in healthcare.
Table 1: EHR Adoption Rates by Healthcare Professionals
| Healthcare Professionals | Adoption Rate |
|---|---|
| Hospitals | 100% |
| Primary Care Physicians | 79% |
| Community Center Medical Practitioners | 98% |
Table 2: EHR Satisfaction Rates by Users
| Satisfaction Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Very Satisfied | 60% |
| Not Very Satisfied | 28% |
| No Response | 12% |
Table 3: EHR Benefits Acknowledged by Healthcare Professionals
| EHR Benefits |
|---|
| Prescription order entry |
| Patient record management |
| Clinical notes management |
| Medication management |
| Problem list management |
| View lab results |
Table 4: EHR Adoption Rates by Hospitals
| Hospital Type | Adoption Rate |
|---|---|
| Non-federal acute care hospitals | 100% |
| Small, rural, and critical access hospitals | 80% |
Table 5: EHR Adoption Rates by Specialty
| Medical Specialty | Adoption Rate |
|---|---|
| Medicine/Pediatrics | 76% |
| Nephrology/Family Practice | 75% |
| Urology | 74% |
Table 6: EHR Adoption and Meaningful Use Rates by PPCPs
| PPCP Type | EHR Adoption | Meaningful Use Rate |
|---|---|---|
| REC-enrolled Priority Primary Care Providers (PPCPs) | 100% | 80% |
Table 7: EHR Adoption and Usage Rates Over Time
| Year | Adoption Rate | Usage Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 40% | N/A |
| 2013 | N/A | 10% |
| Present | 67% | 70% |
Table 8: EHR Vendor Landscape
| Year | Number of Vendors |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 1100 |
| 2015 | 550 |
Key EHR Statistics 2023 – MY Choice
- In 2017, over 86% of office-based physicians in the US were using an EHR system.
- The global EHR market size is expected to reach $39.7 billion by 2025.
- In a survey, 92% of healthcare providers reported that their EHR system positively impacted their practice’s clinical workflows.
- Around 35% of healthcare providers reported that their EHR system decreased the amount of time spent on administrative tasks.
- The top benefits of using EHRs are improved patient care (62%), better communication with patients (60%), and increased practice efficiency (56%).
- EHR adoption rates are highest in hospitals (96%) compared to other healthcare settings.
- The average EHR implementation takes between 6-12 months and costs around $15,000-$70,000 per provider.
- In a survey of healthcare providers, 64% reported that their EHR system has improved the quality of care provided to patients.
- The most commonly used EHR software in the US is Epic, followed by Cerner and Allscripts.
- EHRs have the potential to save healthcare providers up to $78 billion per year in healthcare costs.
EHR Stats
| EHR Statistics | Results |
| Percentage of surveyed doctors who believe that patient care benefits outweigh the costs of EHR adoption in 2012 | 60% |
| Percentage of surveyed doctors who do not believe that patient care benefits outweigh the costs of EHR adoption in 2012 | 40% |
| Percentage of surveyed doctors who believe that patient care benefits outweigh the costs of EHR adoption in 2011 | 68% |
| Percentage of surveyed doctors who do not believe that patient care benefits outweigh the costs of EHR adoption in 2011 | 32% |
| Percentage of physicians reporting that EHR use was associated with clinical benefits related to providing recommended care, ordering appropriate tests, and facilitating patient communication | Between 30% and 50% |
| Physicians with EHRs meeting Meaningful Use criteria and longer EHR experience most likely to report benefits across all 10 measures | Yes, 76% |
| Share of physicians who report that the use of their EHR system has led to clinical benefits (%) | For six measures, between 30% and 46% |
| Percentage of physicians with EHRs meeting Meaningful Use criteria and 2 or more years of EHR experience who report EHR benefits across almost all measures examined | 85% |
| Percentage of the top six EHR vendors owning the market | Fully 54% |
| Global video telemedicine market predicted to grow to $1,624.4 million by the end of 2020 | Yes |
| Percentage of physician e-prescribers who used EHR software in 2011 | 82% |
| Percentage of respondents who recently implemented new EHR software and say their EHR systems resulted in financial losses for the practice | 65% |
| Percentage of EHR software directory products that are cloud | 51% |
| Percentage of users who can use their EHR on their tablet or smartphone reported being “very satisfied” with their software | 58% |
| Percentage of EHR system installations that could be considered a failure according to the Fox Group | 20% |
| Percentage of office-based physician adoption of any EHRs since 2008 | More than doubled, from 42% to 86% |
| Overall EHR adoption rate in the US in 2012 | 40% |
| Significant increase in overall EHR adoption rate in 2017 | 67% |
| Percentage of primary care physicians using EHR with an adoption rate of certified EHR | 79% |
| Record of medical practitioners in community centers regarding EHR adoption | 98% |
| Office-based physician adoption of an EHR has nearly doubled from about 40% to 89% in the last few years | Yes |
| Medicine/pediatrics EHR adoption rate | 76% |
| Nephrology and family practice EHR adoption rate | 75% |
| Urology EHR adoption rate | 74% |
| Critical access hospitals EHR adoption rate in 2011 | 20% |
| Critical access hospitals EHR adoption rate in 2015 | 80% |
| Percentage of non-federal critical access hospitals that have achieved EHR adoption as per Definitive Healthcare data from 2020 | Yes |
| Percentage of psychiatric hospitals that reported EHR adoption in 2008 | 7% |
| Percentage of psychiatric hospitals that reported EHR adoption in 2015 | 15% |
| Percentage of hospitals using a basic EHR system according to ONC published EHR adoption data via the Health IT Dashboard | 83.8% |
| Percentage of hospitals possessing a certified EHR technology according to ONC published EHR adoption data via the Health IT Dashboard | 96% |
| Percentage of individuals confident their medical records are safe from unauthorized viewing | 84% |
| Percentage of individuals who reported experiencing a gap in information exchange when they went to a doctor in the past 12 months | 32% |
| Percentage of non-Federal general acute care hospitals that had adopted a 2015 Edition certified electronic health record in data from 2019 and 2021 | 86% |
| Percentage of surveyed patients under the age of 40 who are dissatisfied with their organizations’ use of patient engagement technology according to Black Book | 89% |
| Percentage of patients who are specifically looking for providers who use advanced health IT according to Black Book | 84% |
| Percentage of school nurses who expect from an EHR system | 91% |
| Percentage of school nurses who have adopted an EHR platform | 91% |
| Percentage of EHR users who reported that EHR use enhanced patient care overall, helped them access a patient’s chart remotely, and alerted them to a potential medication error and critical lab values | Most physicians with EHRs |
| Percentage of physicians who are using an electronic health records systems or are in the process of installing one | 82% |
| Percentage of physicians who reported decreased productivity due to EHRs | 26% |
| Percentage of physicians who are not happy with their EHRs | More than one half |
| Percentage of physicians who said that EHRs made them more efficient | 23% |
| Percentage of physicians who reported that their systems enabled them to earn more money | 6% |
| Percentage of physicians who are interested in mobile EHRs | 91% |
| Percentage of healthcare data that remains unstructured | 80% |
| Percentage of EHR users who have reported being “very satisfied” with the system | About 60% |
| Percentage of healthcare professionals who have admitted that EHR has helped them manage prescription order entry, patient records, clinical notes, medications, problem list, and view lab results | More than 83% |
| Percentage of hospitals eligible for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program that have achieved meaningful use of certified health IT | About 95% |
| Percentage of all hospitals that have implemented inpatient or ambulatory EHR systems according to Definitive Healthcare data from 2020 | More than 89% |
| Percentage of patients who reported not using a patient portal during the past year in a study analyzing patient portal use among insured patients | 63% |
| Percentage of patients who reported not having been offered access to a portal in a study analyzing patient portal use among insured patients | 60% |
| Percentage of physicians who showed that their EHR detracted from professional satisfaction in a survey conducted by Stanford University | 54% |
| Percentage of clinicians surveyed who indicated that their EHR reduced their clinical effectiveness in the Stanford survey | 49% |
| Percentage of EHR systems that either fail or fail to be properly utilized | More than 50% |
| Percentage of technology projects that fail outright across all industries | 25% |
| Percentage of technology projects that don’t show any return on investment | 20 to 25% |
| Percentage of technology projects that will require massive reworking after being launched | Up to 50% |
| Percentage of events in which EHRs resulted in patient harm | 3% |
| Percentage of total clinician stress contributed by clinical process design and the clinical culture, both of which can be negatively impacted by an EHR, according to a study published recently | Approximately 40% |
| Percentage of respondents who said that EHR documentation contributes to feelings of burnout according to Definitive’s database of cognitive overload in physicians | Over 77% |
Adoption and Usage of EHRs
- In 2021, 91% of hospitals in the United States had adopted EHRs, up from just 9% in 2008.
- In 2021, 75% of office-based physicians in the United States had adopted EHRs, up from 42% in 2008.
- As of 2021, 98% of hospitals in the United States had a certified EHR system in place.
- As of 2021, 96% of office-based physicians in the United States were using certified EHR technology.
- Among primary care physicians in the United States, 89% reported using EHRs in 2021.
- In 2021, 75% of behavioral health organizations in the United States were using EHRs.
- In 2021, 90% of long-term care providers in the United States were using EHRs.
- In 2021, 80% of outpatient clinics in the United States were using EHRs.
Benefits of EHRs
- The use of EHRs can improve patient safety by reducing medication errors and adverse drug events.
- EHRs can improve care coordination by providing access to patient data across different providers and care settings.
- EHRs can improve efficiency by reducing paperwork and streamlining administrative tasks.
- EHRs can improve population health management by providing access to population-level data for public health monitoring and research.
- The use of EHRs has been associated with reductions in healthcare costs and improvements in care quality.
Challenges of EHRs
- EHR implementation can be costly, with estimates ranging from $15,000 to $70,000 per provider.
- EHR implementation can be time-consuming, with an average implementation time of 14.4 months.
- EHR usability and user satisfaction are common concerns, with some studies reporting high rates of physician burnout related to EHR use.
- Interoperability remains a challenge, with different EHR systems often unable to communicate with one another.
- Data security and privacy concerns are a common issue, with EHRs being a potential target for cyber attacks.
EHRs and Patient Engagement
- Patients who have access to their EHRs are more engaged in their care and have better outcomes.
- Patients who are able to view their EHRs online are more likely to adhere to medication regimens.
- The use of EHRs can improve patient-provider communication and shared decision-making.
- The use of patient portals and secure messaging can facilitate patient engagement with EHRs.
EHRs and Data Analytics
- EHRs provide a rich source of data for clinical research and quality improvement initiatives.
- The use of EHR data for research purposes has increased dramatically in recent years.
- EHR data can be used to identify high-risk patients and target interventions to improve outcomes.
- The use of data analytics with EHRs has been shown to improve care quality and reduce costs.
