The use of health information technology (HIT), defined as the software used to store, retrieve, share, and use clinical information effectively, has been growing within the state of California. HIT tools have the potential to reduce errors and adverse clinical events, and to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care. However, significant progress remains before these benefits can be fully realized.

This snapshot is the second comprehensive overview of HIT adoption and use in California. The results reported here describe the use of HIT by physicians, hospitals, and community clinics and reveal overall growth in adoption, with certain key gaps.

Highlights include:

• A larger percentage of physicians reported access to electronic health records (EHRs) and ordering systems than reported in the 2008 snapshot. In general, the larger the practice the more likely it uses HIT tools.
• Use of decision support tools, particularly for medication orders, also became more widespread among physicians. In practices where technology is available, the majority of the physicians reported using decision support tools routinely.
• HIT use by hospitals varied widely by type of HIT tool. While nearly 90% of California hospitals reported having or being in the process of installing clinical decision support systems, only 40% reported having order entry systems installed.
• Community clinics saw tremendous growth in HIT use over the last six years. In 2005, 3% of clinics reported having an EHR; in the most recent survey, 47% reported having implemented one.

The growth of HIT use among physicians and community clinics in particular is a positive trend that ideally will accelerate with the current influx of federal funding. This financial support is a critical factor in transitioning the California health care system from the early stages of HIT adoption to a phase in which technology is effectively and routinely leveraged to create a safer and more efficient care delivery system.

The complete report, as well as a series of snapshots from 2008, is available as a Document Download.