Where are the EMRs?

While there have been many advances in the realm of electronic medical record software in recent years, the adoption of such technology by medical professionals hasn’t been moving as quickly as many predicted. Despite the fact that studies have shown an increase in revenue after the implementation of such a system, less than 10% of hospitals and only 16% of primary care physicians in the United States had switched to this type of system as of 2006. The vast majority of medical offices in the country still handle all transactions and data recording on paper as opposed to EMR software, holding fast to the outdated methods that have been in place since the 1950s. While most industries that are information-intensive devote 10% or more of their gross revenue to information technology expenses, the healthcare industry only spends about 2%. Hopefully, this rate will increase as medical professionals realize the benefits that come with electronic records.