This research project involved the design, implementation, and analysis of a state-wide survey of California physicians' use of electronic health records for DHCS - partnering with the California Medical Board's licensure renewal process to optimize response rates and analyze results by key demographic and practice characteristics.

Principal Investigator: Janet Coffman, MA, MPP, PhD
Funding: California Department of Health Care Services, California HealthCare Foundation
Report: On the Road to Meaningful Use of EHRs: A Survey of California Physicians

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) collaborated with DHCS staff and other key stakeholders to develop a questionnaire regarding California physicians' use of electronic health records. Through a partnership with the California Medical Board, this questionnaire was distributed as a supplement to a sample of physicians' biennial licensure renewal forms. The survey had a 68% response rate among all physicians. The supplemental questions focused on EHR use among physicians eligible for Medicaid EHR incentive payments. This evaluation also explored differences in characteristics of physicians who do and do not use EHRs, and further focused on physicians with EHR functionalities that meet CMS' criteria for meaningful use.

The report also discusses the study's methodology and the future feasibility of using the Medical Board survey to obtain ongoing information regarding physicians' use of EHR.