A Commonwealth report says that in Denmark, the physicians, specialists, doctors, everyone uses electronic health record s ( EHR ) in their medical practices. 

According to the Commonwealth report, “Widespread Adoption of Information Technology in Primary-Care Physician Offices In Denmark: A Case Study,virtually all primary-care physicians in Denmark use highly functional EHR s to order prescriptions, draft clinical notes about patient visits, send appointment reminders and communicate with hospitals and other physicians, including specialists.

According to the report, the percentage of primary-care physicians using computer technology for clinical work was by the early 1990s at 15% (already above the 2007 EHR penetration rate in the U.S.). Adoption of EHR s by Danish primary-care physicians had soared to more than 90% by 2000, four years before the government mandate for EHR use went into effect.

In comparison to universal EHR adoption in Denmark, in the U.S. just 28% of U.S. primary-care physicians use an EHR, according to a Commonwealth Fund report last year. Meanwhile, an HHS-funded survey found that only 4% of U.S. office-based physicians used a “fully functional” EHR.

The average primary-care physician in Denmark earns the equivalent of about $200,000 a year, according to the report, and has 1,400 to 1,500 patients. Their EHR systems cost them about $6 per patient per year, including connectivity fees. Relying both on surveys and on anecdotal evidence, the authors said Danish primary-care physicians believe they cover the cost of their EHR systems through workflow efficiencies that allow them to see an estimated 10% more patients.

Currently, there are 10 IT suppliers supporting 13 EHR systems that are certified by MedCom and in use in Denmark, with three suppliers holding 57% of the physician market. Including hospitals and other healthcare organizations, health IT in Denmark is served by about 60 vendors with more than 100 products in use, according to the report. In the office-based EHR market, the authors predict “the number of suppliers will drop to five or six over the next three to four years as the owners of the smaller companies retire and new Internet-based requirements are introduced.

Source : Modernhealthcare.com

You can get more details about EMR & its related topics from our EMR User Group.