CHCF: Calif. health IT use is up

The use of health IT, defined as the software used to store, retrieve, share and use clinical information effectively, has been growing within the state of California. However, significant room for improvement remains, according a snapshot of the state of health IT in California from the California Healthcare Foundation (CHCF).

The snapshot is the second comprehensive overview of health IT adoption and use in California from the Oakland-based organization. The first was published in 2008.

Out of the 65,388 California-based practices on which CHCF collected data, 48 percent have implemented an EHR, while 46 percent have not. Larger practices are more likely than small practices and solo practitioners to have implemented EHR software, with 80 percent having implemented an EHR, as opposed to 20 percent of solo practitioners, 39 percent of practices with two to five clinicians and 64 percent of practices with six to 50 clinicians.

Fifty-five percent of 187 primary care physicians surveyed reported using an EHR in their practice, the report found. Fifty-three percent of primary care physicians (PCPs) reported using electronic entry of clinical notes, including medical history and follow-up notes, where 46 percent “routinely use” electronic clinical documentation.

“Use of decision support tools, particularly for medication orders, also became more widespread among physicians. In practices where technology is available, the majority of the physicians reported using decision support tools routinely,” the report stated.

Electronic ordering systems for lab, radiology and diagnostic tests are implemented in 54 percent of 524 physician practices, the report found. “Implementation varies widely depending on the size of the practice; only 30 percent of solo practices use e-ordering systems, compared to 88 percent of practices with 51 or more physicians.” A second survey found that 52 percent of PCPs did not use electronic ordering of lab tests, CHCF stated.

More than a quarter (26 percent) of 187 PCPs do not track lab orders until results reach clinicians, either electronically of manually. Thirty-percent track manually while 41 percent track electronically.

In addition, health IT use by hospitals varied widely by the type of health tool. While nearly 90 percent of California hospitals reported having or being in the process of installing clinical decision support systems, only 40 percent reported having order entry systems installed.

“Community clinics saw tremendous growth in health IT use over the last six years. In 2005, 3 percent of clinics reported having an EHR; in the most recent survey, 47 percent reported having implemented one,” report continued.

“The growth of HIT use among physicians and community clinics in particular is a positive trend that ideally will accelerate with the current influx of federal funding,” the report concluded. “This financial support is a critical factor in transitioning the California healthcare system from the early stages of health IT adoption to a phase in which technology is effectively and routinely leveraged to create a safer and more efficient care delivery system.”

To read the report in its entirety, click here.

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