Doctors from different states vary in many ways. This includes in how common the use of electronic health records is among them. While EHR use has been growing in prominence over the past several years here in the U.S., it hasn’t done so at a uniform pace across the country.
How do Wisconsin doctors compare to physicians in the rest of the U.S. when it comes to EHR use? According to a recent report, EHR use is particularly high among Wisconsin’s physicians. The report was from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
According to the report, nationally, around 60 percent of physicians based in offices use EHRs. In Wisconsin, meanwhile, this percentage is all the way up at 92 percent. The report found Wisconsin to have the nation’s second highest level of doctor EHR use.
Proponents of EHR use point to such records having the potential for benefits in the practice of medicine and benefits for patients. However, there are also some concerns that can come up in connection to such records. This includes, as we noted in our last post, concerns over how much of a physician’s time such records take up.
Why do you think EHR use is so high among Wisconsin physicians? What impacts do you think this trend is having on the practice of medicine in the state?
As practice trends differ from state-to-state, so too do the laws, policies and procedures related to medical licenses. When a physician is facing complicated issues related to their medical license, such as a potential license suspension, how tailored their approach to dealing with such issues is to the unique policies and processes in their state can be incredibly impactful. So, promptly seeking out the guidance of a lawyer knowledgeable in Wisconsin physician license defense matters can be very important for Wisconsin doctors when such impactful issues come up.
Source: Wisconsin State Journal, “Wisconsin 2nd in country in use of electronic health records, agency says,” Bill Novack, Oct. 3, 2017