title: Pilot study of meaningful use of electronic health records in radiation oncology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adoption and meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) systems is an important national goal. We undertook a pilot study to determine the level of adoption and barriers to implementation of meaningful use (MU) of EHR systems as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in US radiation oncology practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  We administered a Web-based survey instrument to a convenience sample of 40 departments of radiation oncology. We determined the current status of EHR system use at each facility, attitudes toward EHR systems, knowledge of MU criteria, plans and barriers to implementation, and whether selected interventions would be helpful with regard to compliance with MU criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one of 40 radiation oncology facilities completed the survey, for a 53% response rate. Respondents were mostly large academic practices with a median of six (range, one to 32) full-time physicians and 70 (range, eight to 650) patients treated daily. Most facilities (81%) currently used an EHR system. The majority (84%) of facilities were aware of MU criteria, and of these, 67% expected to implement MU-compliant systems by the year 1 reporting deadline of October 1, 2011. The most frequently cited barriers to implementation were high cost, difficulty integrating with hospital systems, and a lack of national guidelines for implementation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most large academic radiation oncology practices have already incorporated EHR systems into practice and plan to meet MU requirements. Further work should focus on assessment of needs for smaller practices. Radiation oncology-specific guidelines may improve widespread adoption.
authors.affiliation: Kimmel Cancer Center and Jefferson School of Population Health, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. xinglei.shen@jeffersonhospital.org
authors.forename: Xinglei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Adam P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Dicker
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: Timothy N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Showalter
authors.forename: Amy S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Susan I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: DesHarnais
mesh_terms: D001292:Attitude to Computers; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011216:Practice Management, Medical; D018787:Radiation Oncology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires