| Background. Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption by health care providers has been promoted as a vital component to improved health care quality and has been made a national priority by federal programs. I examined the association between EHR components and the quality of health care. Methods. Using data from the 2007 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, I conducted a cross-sectional analysis of patient visits with a primary care physician and examined the association between EHR use and components and: (1) the number of physician minutes spent with the patient; (2) whether diagnostic or screening tests were ordered or provided; and (3) whether health education was ordered or provided. I used multivariate models accounting for fixed effects and controlling for patient socio-demographic, health, physician practice, and geographic factors. Results. I found no association between EHR use or components and any of the health quality measures investigated. Conclusions. As implemented, EHRs were not associated with better quality health care in a primary care setting. Future research focusing on how the EHR system is used will improve our understanding of the impact of EHRs on the quality of care. |
