Examining Structural Constraints and Electronic Health Record Use in Acute Care Hospitals

Electronic Health Record (EHR) use is expected to quickly increase in the USA. It is the hope of the federal government and many hospitals that EHR use will not only increase, but also mature from basic applications such as EHR for results viewing (ERV) to more advanced applications such as Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE). Today, considerable heterogeneity exists among hospitals with regard to EHR use and the movement toward advanced EHR applications. Examining this heterogeneity is useful as hospitals move toward advanced EHR. Survey data collected from 297 acute care hospitals in 47 states suggests that critical access hospitals may be slow to use EHR, even in the early stages of ERV. Conversely, major teaching hospitals appear to be early adopters, achieving advanced ERH use. These findings are key for hospital executives, Health Information Technology managers, and policymakers facing resource allocation decisions for EHR adoption.