Adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) has increased dramatically since the 2009 implementation of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that the majority of U.S. hospitals and nearly half of U.S. health care professionals have implemented an EHR with advanced functionality.(1) The goals of the HITECH act were not only to incentivize the adoption of EHRs, but also to increase the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care by promoting the concept of "meaningful use."(2,3) The stepwise implementation of "meaningful use" is now entering the latter stages with a focus on improving patient outcomes.(4).
Keywords: Electronic health record; health information technology; primary care; type 2 diabetes.
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