Do Years of Experience With Electronic Health Records Matter for Productivity in Community Health Centers?

This study investigated how years of experience with an electronic health record (EHR) related to productivity in community health centers (CHCs). Using data from the 2012 Uniform Data System, we regressed average annual medical visits, weighted for service intensity, as a function of full-time equivalent medical staff controlling for CHC size and location. Physician productivity significantly improved. Although the productivity of all other staff types was not significantly different by years of EHR experience, the trends showed lower productivity among nurses and other medical staff in CHCs with fewer years of EHR experience versus more years of experience.