EMRs used mostly in emergency and outpatient departments

Health Management Technology, May, 2005

From 2001 to 2003, electronic medical records were used less often in physician offices (17 percent) than in hospital emergency (31 percent) and outpatient departments (29 percent), according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In physician offices, information technology is primarily used for billing patients (73 percent).

Automated drug dispensing systems were available in hospital EDs (40 percent) more frequently than in outpatient departments (18 percent). To view the CDC report, visit www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad353.pdf