Driven by strong advocacy at the state and federal levels, physician-led initiatives and financial incentives from insurers and even local businesses, electronic medical record (EMR) use is rising in Rhode Island, a new report shows, but many doctors are still holding out.

EMRs are widely viewed as an essential tool to improve care and reduce costs, because they make it easier to manage patients’ health information, quickly access data such as known allergies and medication history, standardize care by using the same tools for, say, all diabetics, and avoid errors by sending prescriptions and orders electronically.

Full Story: Electronic medical record use rises in Rhode Island Source: Providence Business News, April 12th, 2009 Author: Marion Davis Added on April 23rd, 2009 at 9:23 am, by Matt Mikula