Dive Brief:

• Financial incentives and potential penalties were the among the biggest motivators for adopting EHRs for physicians who have done so since 2009, says a data brief released Friday by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. 
• According to ONC's data brief, 62% of physicians who adopted EHRs after the implementation of the HITECH Act in 2009 did so because of financial incentives or penalties. In comparison, 23% of physicians who adopted EHRs prior to 2009 did so because of incentives or penalties. 
• The second most common motivation for EHR adoption among physicians who adopted EHRs after the Incentive Program launched was requirements for board certification, said the data brief.

Dive Insight:

This is yet another indicator that docs, like everyone else, respond to a carrot or a stick faster than they respond to a lovely suggestion that making a change is just plain good for them (and their patients). Still, there are those whose decision to adopt EHRs was lured by more than money: The ability to electronically exchange data was a driver for 36% of physicians who adopted EHRs after 2009, according to the brief. 

Interestingly, more than 60% of physicians who said they would not adopt EHRs cited a lack of resources, including funding, time and staff. And about 20% of those non-adopting physicians said that no EHR systems worked for their specialty. 

Want to read more? You may enjoy this story on EHRs through time: The early adopter story.