New report about the status of electronic medical records

Found via DocuTicker: A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, "Health information technology in the United States: the information base for progress" (PDF) finds that electronic medical records are not a routine part of clinical practice for many physicians in the US.

The executive summary notes:

In the most comprehensive study to date that reliably measures the state of electronic health record (EHR) use by doctors and hospitals, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and George Washington University (GWU) estimate that one in four doctors (24.9 percent) use EHRs to improve how they deliver care to patients. However, less than one in 10 are using what experts define as a “fully operational” system that collects patient information, displays test results, allows providers to enter medical orders and prescriptions, and helps doctors make treatment decisions.

- the RWJF press release about the report

Update:
- an article reporting this study's results published in Health Affairs
- a post about the study on the new Health Affairs blog
- a Science Blog post by Ira Allen, "Privacy is forever; good health isn't" (including a link to a related Washington Post article)