title: Physician capability to electronically exchange clinical information, 2011.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide national estimates of physician capability to electronically share clinical information with other providers and to describe variation in exchange capability across states and electronic health record (EHR) vendors using the 2011 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Electronic Medical Record Supplement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey of a nationally representative sample of nonfederal office-based physicians who provide direct patient care.
  
  
  METHODS
  The survey was administered by mail with telephone follow-up and had a 61% weighted response rate. The overall sample consisted of 4326 respondents. We calculated estimates of electronic exchange capability at the national and state levels, and applied multivariate analyses to examine the association between the capability to exchange different types of clinical information and physician and practice characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2011, 55% of physicians had computerized capability to send prescriptions electronically; 67% had the capability to view lab results electronically; 42% were able to incorporate lab results into their EHR; 35% were able to send lab orders electronically; and, 31% exchanged patient clinical summaries with other providers. The strongest predictor of exchange capability is adoption of an EHR. However, substantial variation exists across geography and EHR vendors in exchange capability, especially electronic exchange of clinical summaries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In 2011, a majority of office-based physicians could exchange lab and medication data, and approximately one-third could exchange clinical summaries with patients or other providers. EHRs serve as a key mechanism by which physicians can exchange clinical data, though physicians' capability to exchange varies by vendor and by state.
authors.affiliation: Senior Advisor, Office of Economic Analysis Evaluation and Modeling Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, 200 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20201. E-mail: vaishali.patel@hhs.gov.
authors.forename: Vaishali
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Swain
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Furukawa
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D066275:Health Information Exchange / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care; D014481:United States