The State of Health Information Technology in California: A 2011 Snapshot

Reprinted with permission from the California HealthCare Foundation 2011. To read the complete report, visit www.chcf.org/publications/2011/05/health-information-technology-california.

The use of health information technology (HIT), defined as the software used to store, retrieve, share, and use clinical information effectively, has been growing within the state of California. HIT tools have the potential to reduce errors and adverse clinical events, and to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care. However, significant progress remains before these benefits can be fully realized.

This snapshot is the second comprehensive overview of HIT adoption and use in California; the first snapshot was published in 2008. The results reported here describe the use of HIT by physicians, hospitals, and community clinics and reveal overall growth in adoption, with certain key gaps.

Highlights include:

• A larger percentage of physicians reported access to electronic health records (EHRs) and ordering systems than reported in the 2008 snapshot. In general, the larger the practice the more likely it uses HIT tools.
• Use of decision support tools, particularly for medication orders, also became more widespread among physicians. In practices where technology is available, the majority of the physicians reported using decision support tools routinely.
• HIT use by hospitals varied widely by type of HIT tool. While nearly 90 percent of California hospitals reported having or being in the process of installing clinical decision support systems, only 40 percent reported having order entry systems installed.
• Community clinics saw tremendous growth in HIT use over the last six years. In 2005, 3 percent of clinics reported having an EHR; in the most recent survey, 47 percent reported having implemented one.

The growth of HIT use among physicians and community clinics in particular is a positive trend that ideally will accelerate with the current influx of federal funding. This financial support is a critical factor in transitioning the California healthcare system from the early stages of HIT adoption to a phase in which technology is effectively and routinely leveraged to create a safer and more efficient care delivery system.

Graphs of Interest to Physicians Include the Following:

• EHR Implementation at Physician Practices, Overall and by Practice Size (page 3)
• Physician Implementation of Electronic Prescribing Technology, Overall and by Practice Category (page 11)
• Physician Implementation of Automated Reminder Systems for Preventive Services, Overall and by Practice Category (page 15)
• Physician Implementation of Electronic Clinical Data Exchange Systems With Other Physicians, Overall and by Practice Category (page 21)
• Physician Implementation of Electronic Clinical Data Exchange Systems With Hospitals and Laboratories, Overall and by Practice Category (page 22)