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U.S. lags in adopting electronic medical records

E-Health Trend Watch, July 28, 2006

According to a study published on May 9 in the journal Health Affairs, the United States lags behind other industrialized countries in adopting electronic medical records (EMR), which can lower healthcare costs.

According to the report, the U.S. spent $5,635 per person on healthcare, which is two and a half times the average for industrialized countries of $2,280. U.S. spending was 48% higher than Norway, the second-highest spender at $3,807 per capita. The article argues that the barrier to EMR development in the U.S. is that doctors have to pay to install the records systems, while insurers and the government realize most of the cost savings. In other countries, government and insurers have paid the cost.

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