Speaker
Fatima Fairfax
Graduate Student, Sociology
Duke University
Abstract
In this paper, I aim to understand patterns of Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption in U.S. hospitals and the impact of EHR adoption on healthcare quality at the state level. EHRs have been championed as a system to improve efficiency, cost effectiveness, and healthcare quality. While often assessed for its impact on efficiency and cost reduction, there is less consensus on how or if EHRs improve patient assessed healthcare quality. Furthermore, there are very few studies that assess if benefits are universally felt across all patient populations. I will use data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) from 2007 to 2019 and state level healthcare quality data from various sources to estimate the impact of EHR adoption on health quality and disparities in healthcare quality.