Do Hospitals With Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) Provide Higher Quality Care?

Abstract

This study investigates how hospital electronic medical record (EMR) use influences quality performance. Data include nonfederal acute care hospitals in the United States. Sources of the data include the American Hospital Association, Hospital Quality Alliance, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services case-mix index sets. The authors use a retrospective cross-sectional format with linear regression to assess the relationship between hospital EMR use and quality performance. Quality performance is measured using 10 process indicators related to 3 clinical conditions: acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia. The authors also use a propensity score adjustment to control for possible selection bias. After this adjustment, the authors identify a positive significant relationship between EMR use and 4 of the 10 quality indicators. They conclude that there is limited evidence of the relationship between hospital EMR use and quality.