Voluntary physician adoption of an inpatient electronic medical record by obstetrician-gynecologists

Objective The purpose of this study was to review the utilization statistics for voluntary physician adoption of a comprehensive inpatient electronic record by community obstetrician-gynecologists. Study Design A retrospective analysis of administrative data on the utilization of a modern electronic medical record system in a private hospital setting was performed. The physician statistics for order entry and physician documentation pre- and postimplementation were compared. Results During the study period monthly hospital average was 268 discharges per month and 64.9 orders per discharge. Utilizing the prior stand alone order entry system, 38.7% of orders were directly entered by physicians, and, following implementation, this rose to 72.1% with phone/verbal orders reduced by 44.9%. Monthly transcription rates of history and physical, consultations, operative and discharge summary notes were reduced by 61.5%, 75.8%, 56.6%, and 88.2%, respectively, over the study time period. Conclusion A well designed electronic medical record can be utilized in the voluntary private inpatient setting with significant physician adoption.