60 percent of peds hospitals have electronic health records

(HealthDay)—Since 2008 there has been an increase in the proportion of children's hospitals adopting electronic health records (EHRs), with EHRs in almost 60 percent of children's hospitals in 2011, according to research published online April 15 in Pediatrics.

Mari M. Nakamura, M.D., M.P.H., from the Boston Children's Hospital, and colleagues assessed the adoption and meaningful use of EHRs among U.S. children's hospitals though 2011. The responses of 126 children's hospitals to the American Hospital Association's annual health information technology survey were assessed for 2011, and the results were compared to those from 2008.

The researchers found that from 2008 to 2011 there was an increase in the proportion of children's hospitals with EHRs, from 21 to 59 percent. Twenty-nine percent of the hospitals met the 12 core criteria for meaningful use in 2011. Children's hospitals had significantly higher rates of EHR adoption and meaningful use than adult hospitals overall, with similar rates seen for children's and adult major teaching hospitals. Among children's hospitals, the likelihood of having EHRs was significantly higher for major teaching hospitals.

"Children's hospitals have achieved substantial gains in health information technology implementation although minor teaching and nonteaching institutions are not keeping pace," the authors write.