In 2009, when Congress passed the stimulus bill, it included incentives for doctors and hospitals to make "meaningful use" of electronic medical records. There was already a pilot program in Vermont, to get doctors to transition from paper records to electronic ones, but it really took off in 2009.
Leading the charge in Vermont is a non profit organization called Vermont Information Technology Leaders. The group is assisting health care providers across the state in adopting and making good use of electronic health records, with the goal of improving patient care.
VPR’s Jane Lindholm recently spoke with Dr. David Cochran, the president and CEO of VITL about how the transition is going.