Use of Electronic Health Records in Residential Care Communities

While the use of electronic health records has been studied in health care settings such as home health, hospice and physician offices, the same degree of attention has not been focused on their use in residential care settings.  The Centers for Disease Control and Protection's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has made available a data brief specifically focused on use and exchange of electronic medical records in residential care communities based on findings from the 2010 National Survey of Residential Care Facilities (NSRCF).

Report findings include that only 17 percent of all residential care communities used electronic medical records in 2010 and, of those that did, less than half had computerized systems capable of supporting exchange of electronic health information with other providers.  Not-for-profit status, having 26 or more beds, chain-affiliation, co-location with another care setting and being located in a non-metropolitan region were all associated with higher percentages of electronic health record use.

The full data brief provides summary charts of the facility characteristics findings as well as what types of electronic health information were tracked by residential care communities.

Contact: Linda Spokane, lspokane@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8857