--- title: "Adoption and use of health IT by physicians. | Sutter Health" description: "To determine how extent of adoption of health IT by MD practices may differ from extent of use by individual MDs, and associated factors of adoption and use." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/adoption-and-use-of-health-it-by-physicians-1055312889" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research) / 3. [Research publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications) / 4. Adoption and use of health IT by physicians. # When does adoption of health information technology by physician practices lead to use by physicians within the practice? McClellan SR, Casalino LP, Shortell SM, & Rittenhouse DR. _J Am Med Inform Assoc. 20(e1):e26-32. doi: 10.1136/amiajnl-2012-001271. Epub 2013 Feb 8._ 2013-06-01 ## Abstract BJECTIVE: We sought to determine the extent to which adoption of health information technology (HIT) by physician practices may differ from the extent of use by individual physicians, and to examine factors associated with adoption and use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using cross-sectional survey data from the National Study of Small and Medium-Sized Physician Practices (July 2007-March 2009), we examined the extent to which organizational capabilities and external incentives were associated with the adoption of five key HIT functionalities by physician practices and with use of those functionalities by individual physicians. RESULTS: The rate of physician practices adopting any of the five HIT functionalities was 34.1%. When practices adopted HIT functionalities, on average, about one in seven physicians did not use those functionalities. One physician in five did not use prompts and reminders following adoption by their practice. After controlling for other factors, both adoption of HIT by practices and use of HIT by individual physicians were higher in primary care practices and larger practices. Practices reporting an emphasis on patient-centered management were not more likely than others to adopt, but their physicians were more likely to use HIT. DISCUSSION: Larger practices were most likely to have adopted HIT, but other factors, including specialty mix and self-reported patient-centered management, had a stronger influence on the use of HIT once adopted. CONCLUSIONS: Adoption of HIT by practices does not mean that physicians will use the HIT. [PubMed abstract](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23396512) ## Research topics - [Health Policy](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Health+Policy%5C%22%22) - [Health Services](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Health+Services%5C%22%22) - [Medical Informatics](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?query=%22%5C%22Medical+Informatics%5C%22%22) ## Related publications [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) - Publication ### [The effect of Paragraph IV decisions and generic entry before patent expiration on brand pharmaceutical firms.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/effect-paragraph-iv-generics-brand-pharma-1055312883) Panattoni LE. J Health Econ. 30(1):126-45. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2010.09.004. Epub 2010 Oct 8. 2011 Jan 01 - Publication ### [A clinician's guide to privacy and communication in the ICU.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/clinician-privacy-communication-icu-1055312509) Francis L, Vorwaller MA, Aboumatar H, Frosch DL, Halamka J, Rozenblum R, Rubin E, Lee BS, Sugarman J, Turner K, Brown SM; Privacy, Access, and Engagement Task Force of the Libretto Consortium of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Crit Care Med. \[Epub ahead of print\] 2016 Dec 02 - Publication ### [Electronic health record logs indicate that physicians split time evenly between seeing patients and desktop medicine.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/mds-split-time-evenly-see-pts-desktop-med-1055312310) Tai-Seale M, Olson CW, Li J, Chan AS, Morikawa C, Durbin M, Wang W, Luft HS. Health Aff. 36:655-662; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0811. 2017 Apr 01 - Publication ### [Patient experiences in selecting a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/pt-experiences-selecting-medicare-part-d-rx-drug-plan-1055312300) Stults CD, Baskin AS, Bundorf MK, Tai-Seale M. J Patient Experience. https://doi.org/10.1177/2374373517739413 2017 Nov 21 - Publication ### [Medicare annual preventive care visits: use increased among fee-for-service patients, but many do not participate.](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/medicare-preventive-care-in-fee-for-svce-pts-1055312874) Chung S, Lesser LI, Lauderdale DS, Johns NE, Palaniappan LP, Luft HS. Health Aff (Millwood). 34(1):11-20. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2014.0483. 2015 Jan 01 [View all publications](https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?verticalKey=research_publication) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/adoption-and-use-of-health-it-by-physicians-1055312889#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Research publications","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Adoption and use of health IT by physicians."}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalScholarlyArticle","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/adoption-and-use-of-health-it-by-physicians-1055312889#medicalscholarlyarticle","name":"When does adoption of health information technology by physician practices lead to use by physicians within the practice?","headline":"Adoption and use of health IT by physicians.","abstract":"BJECTIVE: We sought to determine the extent to which adoption of health information technology (HIT) by physician practices may differ from the extent of use by individual physicians, and to examine factors associated with adoption and use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using cross-sectional survey data from the National Study of Small and Medium-Sized Physician Practices (July 2007-March 2009), we examined the extent to which organizational capabilities and external incentives were associated with the adoption of five key HIT functionalities by physician practices and with use of those functionalities by individual physicians. RESULTS: The rate of physician practices adopting any of the five HIT functionalities was 34.1%. When practices adopted HIT functionalities, on average, about one in seven physicians did not use those functionalities. One physician in five did not use prompts and reminders following adoption by their practice. After controlling for other factors, both adoption of HIT by practices and use of HIT by individual physicians were higher in primary care practices and larger practices. Practices reporting an emphasis on patient-centered management were not more likely than others to adopt, but their physicians were more likely to use HIT. DISCUSSION: Larger practices were most likely to have adopted HIT, but other factors, including specialty mix and self-reported patient-centered management, had a stronger influence on the use of HIT once adopted. CONCLUSIONS: Adoption of HIT by practices does not mean that physicians will use the HIT.","description":"To determine how extent of adoption of health IT by MD practices may differ from extent of use by individual MDs, and associated factors of adoption and use.","keywords":["Health Policy","Health Services","Medical Informatics"],"datePublished":"2013-06-01","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/adoption-and-use-of-health-it-by-physicians-1055312889","inLanguage":"en-US","identifier":[{"@type":"PropertyValue","propertyID":"PMID","value":"23396512"},{"@type":"PropertyValue","propertyID":"DOI","value":"10.1136/amiajnl-2012-001271"}],"sameAs":["https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23396512/","https://doi.org/10.1136/amiajnl-2012-001271"],"isPartOf":{"@type":"Periodical","name":"J Am Med Inform Assoc"},"author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"McClellan SR"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Casalino LP"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Shortell SM"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Rittenhouse DR"}],"sourceOrganization":{"@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute"},"about":[{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Health Policy","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_researchTopics.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Health+Policy%22%5D%7D%5D&verticalKey=research_publication"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Health Services","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_researchTopics.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Health+Services%22%5D%7D%5D&verticalKey=research_publication"},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Medical Informatics","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research-search-results?facets=%5B%7B%22i%22%3A%22c_researchTopics.name%22%2C%22v%22%3A%5B%22Medical+Informatics%22%5D%7D%5D&verticalKey=research_publication"}],"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/adoption-and-use-of-health-it-by-physicians-1055312889","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/publications/adoption-and-use-of-health-it-by-physicians-1055312889#breadcrumblist"}}} ```