EHR and Health IT Statistics

Technology advancements are rapidly changing the healthcare sector. Here are a few of the most important US physician statistics and medical technology figures. If you don’t see the statistic you’re looking for, contact Practice Fusion’s media relations team for assistance with your research.

Physicians & Technology

• There are over 800,000 physicians in America. (AMA 2009)

• 7 million people in the US work in healthcare practitioner and technical occupations altogether. (Bureau of Labor 2008)

• Practice sizes: 80% of physicians practice in groups of 9 or less. (AMA 2001)

• Only 6.3% of physicians reported having a fully functional electronic health records system in use, 20% report having some basic system. (CDC Report, January 2009)

• "Astonishingly, twenty years after the digital revolution, only 1.5% of hospitals have integrated IT systems today—and half of those are government hospitals." (Washington Monthly - 2009)

Economic Stimulus

• Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, physicians who adopt "meaningful use" of an electronic health record system by 2011 will qualify for $44,000 or more in Medicare incentives. (Learn more in our Stimulus Center)

With an estimated 404,000 eligible medical professionals in 2011, CMS predicts that between 10% and 36% will adopt an EHR in 2011, 15% to 44% in 2013, and 21% to 53% in 2015. (Health and Human Services

Health IT Sector

• "The 1.2 billion-dollar market for EMR is expected to grow nearly 400% in the next eight years, according to our experts." (Piribo – 2007) This translates to 9.3 billion in 2013.

• The health information technology industry is booming due to the economic stimulus boost. The Health IT sector grew 30%, compared to 2% S&P 500 growth, in Q2 2009. (Healthcare Growth Partners 2009)

Electronic Health Records

• "Initial EHR costs averaged $44,000 per full-time-equivalent (FTE) provider, and ongoing costs averaged $8,500 per provider per year. The average practice paid for its EHR costs in 2.5 years and profited handsomely after that; however, some practices could not cover costs quickly, most providers spent more time at work initially, and some practices experienced substantial financial risks." (Health Affairs Journal 2005)

• Nearly 62% of surveyed physician group practice administrators consider selecting and implementing a new electronic health records system as a considerable or extreme challenge. EHR projects ranked high on the top challenge list for the second straight year in the survey from the Medical Group Management Association in Englewood, Colo. The top considerable or extreme challenge, cited by 73% of practices, is dealing with operating costs that are rising quicker than revenue; the second is maintaining physician compensation levels in an era of declining reimbursements. EHR implementation was cited as the third most pressing challenge. (MGMA 2009)

• Primary care physicians report that use of an electronic health record improves the quality of care delivered to patients, including reduced medication errors, improved test result follow-up and better communication with other clinicians. (Journal of General Internal Medicine 2009)

• Practice Fusion’s EHR was designed by doctors and is unique in being totally free and web-based. Physicians only need desktop computers and internet access to go digital. Practice Fusion removes the cost and implementation barriers for physicians adopting an EHR.