Wisconsin ranks 2nd in nation in electronic health records

October 2-6 is National Health IT Week, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is pleased to announce the state is one of the nation’s leaders in the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR), which improve the quality of care for patients.

The Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) ranks Wisconsin second in the nation in the use of EHR, noting that 92 percent of all office-based physicians in the state have adopted or demonstrated meaningful use of EHR. Nationwide, 60 percent of all office-based physicians have demonstrated meaningful use of the technology.

“What this means for patients is better coordination and quality of care, in addition to better outcomes in the delivery of health care,” said DHS Secretary Linda Seemeyer. “We’re proud of all health care professionals at our hospitals, clinics, and health care facilities who recognize the value of EHR in their efforts to provide exceptional care to patients across the state.”

In June, DHS announced that it awarded a contract to Cerner to bring EHR to all seven of its facilities, including the Mendota and Winnebago Mental Health Institutes.

This is the third time in three months that Wisconsin has ranked high in health care. Last month, according to the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Wisconsin was ranked the top state in the nation for health care, with the highest overall health care quality score. In July, Wisconsin’s Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) were named best in the nation by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for outstanding quality performance.

Governor Scott Walker has proclaimed October 2-6 as Health IT Week, in recognition of the advantages of investing in and using technology to improve the quality of health care in Wisconsin. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offers incentives to eligible hospitals and professionals to adopt, implement, upgrade and meaningfully use certified EHR technology. The DHS eHealth program has resources for both health care consumers and providers on how to benefit from Health Information Technology (HIT).