The Associated Press February 20, 2007, 3:28PM EST
State health care providers significantly lag behind their private sector counterparts in adopting electronic medical records for their patients, according to a survey released Monday.
The survey, commissioned by Citrix Systems Inc., which hosts software applications and programs for large organizations, found that 57 percent of private-sector health facilities use electronic records while only 19 percent of state facilities have adopted them.
Private sector health executives cited money, resistance among staff to use electronic records and technical complexity as some of the main things impeding electronic adoption.
States cite similar reasons. Additionally, only 16 percent of state health executives said their governments have set a timeline for the statewide adoption of electronic medical records.
However, the survey said many communities are creating regional health information organizations to help develop information exchange, including electronic records adoption, across all levels. About 43 percent of state health executives said they are involved in such organizations as compared with only 20 percent among their private sector counterparts.
The Bush administration has set a 2014 goal for having a national health infrastructure in place, including use of electronic records, which can hold patient information, help speed up care and reduce administrative costs.
The online survey of 347 private sector health care technology executives and phone interviews of 99 state health officials was conducted in January.
Download the full survey here: http://www.citrix.com/healthitsurvey
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