First few Article Sentences
Hospitals have made significant progress in health information technology adoption. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments for the effective use of electronic health records (EHRs). As a result, the number of US hospitals with a basic EHR system has nearly tripled since 2010, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2013 Health Information Technology in the United States report.
Although a majority of hospitals are participating in the EHR incentive program, the number actually receiving payment is low. Hospitals—especially smaller and more rural facilities—are struggling to meet the first phase of the complex meaningful use criteria. According to the American Hospital Association, only 37 percent of hospitals met Stage 1 criteria and received payment in 2012.