Health information technology (HIT) adoption and use by Rhode Island advance practice registered nurses and physician assistants, 2013.

INTRODUCTION The adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems, also known as electronic health records (EHRs), has the potential to reduce the incidence of medical errors and to improve the care patients receive through better compliance with recommended standards, improved coordination of care and ready access to up-to-date health information.1,2 Recognizing the potential impact on patient safety and healthcare quality, the Rhode Island Department of Health determined that it was important to track health information technology (HIT) adoption and use as part of a legislatively-mandated public reporting program. In 2008, the Department’s Healthcare Quality Reporting Program began surveying physicians annually about their EMR and eprescribing adoption.3 One year later, in 2009, the program began publishing individual-level measures of physician HIT adoption. To our knowledge, Rhode Island is the first state to publicly report structural and process measures of HIT adoption for every licensed physician providing direct patient care, regardless of practice site.4 In 2013, at the suggestion of stakeholders, the Department piloted the Rhode Island HIT Survey with Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) and Physician Assistants (PAs). The objectives were to broaden the focus from physicians to all licensed independent practitioners (LIPs), and to establish a baseline for HIT adoption among all LIPs in the state.