Electronic medical records a national priority, but adoption lags

When optometrist Meera Sutaria opened up shop last year in Brambleton, Va., she had an electronic medical record in place, setting her at the "forefront of a national agenda to better utilize information technology in the health care industry," The Washington Post reports.

The stimulus bill last year invested money to achieve the goal that "each person in the United States should have an electronic medical record by 2014." But, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in December that fewer than half of physician offices offered such records, meaning many practices have to catch up (Wilson, 6/24).