Data Briefs

ONC has created several original data briefs providing information about EHR adoption, progress towards meaningful use, and current trends in health information technology and public health. Each data brief conveys complex statistical data and summarizes it in a straightforward manner using text and graphics.

• ONC Data Brief 53: State of Interoperability among Major U.S. Cities [PDF - 601 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 52: Variation in Methods for Health Information Management among U.S. Substance Abuse Treatment Centers, 2017 [PDF – 660 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 51: State of Interoperability among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals in 2018 [PDF - 1.46 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 50: Access and Use of Electronic Health Information by Individuals with Cancer: 2017-2018 [PDF-397 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 49: Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances among Office-Based Physicians, 2017 [PDF – 558 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 48: Trends in Individuals’ Access, Viewing and Use of Online Medical Records and Other Technology for Health Needs: 2017-2018 [PDF - 1 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 47: Interoperability among Office-Based Physicians in 2015 and 2017 [PDF - 527 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 46: Hospitals’ Use of Electronic Health Records Data, 2015-2017 [PDF - 425 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 45: Electronic Capabilities for Patient Engagement among U.S. Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals: 2013-2017 [PDF - 432 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 44: Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances among Medicare Part D Prescribers 2015-2016 [PDF - 519 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 43: Methods Used to Enable Interoperability among U.S. Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals in 2017 [PDF - 680 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 42: Variation in Interoperability among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals in 2017
• ONC Data Brief 41: Electronic Health Record Adoption and Interoperability among U.S. Skilled Nursing Facilities and Home Health Agencies in 2017
• ONC Data Brief 40: Individuals’ use of online medical records and technology for health needs [PDF - 1.6 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 39: Electronic Health Record Adoption and Interoperability among U.S. Skilled Nursing Facilities in 2016 [PDF - 339KB]
• ONC Data Brief 38: Electronic Capabilities for Patient Engagement among U.S. Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals: 2012-2015 [PDF - 730 KB] 
• ONC Data Brief 37: Variation in Interoperability among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals in 2015 [PDF - 1.6 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 36: Interoperability among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals in 2015 [PDF - 1.2 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 35: Adoption of Electronic Health Record Systems among U.S. Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals: 2008-2015 [PDF - 660KB]
• ONC Data Brief 34:Disparities in Individuals’ Access and Use of Health Information Technology in 2014 [PDF - 1,4 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 33: Trends in Individuals’ Perceptions regarding Privacy and Security of Medical Records and Exchange of Health Information: 2012-2014 [PDF - 564 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 32: State and National Trends of Two-Factor Authentication for Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals [PDF - 1.2 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 31: Physician electronic exchange of patient health information, 2014 [PDF - 1 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 30: Trends in Consumer Access and Use of Electronic Health Information [PDF - 2 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 29: Electronic Capabilities for Patient Engagement among U.S. Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals: 2012-2014 [PDF - 1.9 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 28: Any, Certified, and Basic: Quantifying Physician EHR Adoption through 2014 [PDF - 1.72 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 27: Individuals’ Perceptions of the Privacy and Security of Medical Records [PDF - 839 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 26: Disparities in Individuals’ Access and Use of Health IT in 2013 [PDF - 612 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 25: Interoperability among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals, 2014 [PDF - 1.7 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 24: Health Information Exchange among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals: 2008-2014 [PDF - 1.7 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 23: Adoption of Electronic Health Record Systems among U.S. Non-Federal Acute Care Hospitals: 2008-2014 [PDF - 1.4 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 22: Hospital Reporting on Meaningful Use Public Health Measures in 2014 [PDF - 1.1 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 21: Physician Motivations for Adoption of Electronic Health Records [PDF - 1.9 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 20: Individuals’ Access and Use of their Online Medical Record Nationwide [PDF - 2.29 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 19: Physician-Reported Safety and Quality Impacts of Electronic Health Record Use [PDF - 544 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 18: E-Prescribing Trends in the United States [PDF - 2.5 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 17: Health Information Exchange among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals: 2008-2013 [PDF - 699 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 16: Adoption of Electronic Health Record Systems among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals: 2008-2013 [PDF - 933 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 15: Health care providers’ role in protecting EHRs: Implications for consumer support of EHRs, HIE and patient-provider communication [PDF - 2.65 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 14: Health Information Exchange among Clinical Laboratories [PDF - 1.3 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 13: Patient Access to Test Results among Clinical Laboratories [PDF - 1.4 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 12: Progress and Challenges with the Implementation and Use of Electronic Health Records among Critical Access Hospitals [PDF - 6 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 11: Regional Extension Center Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants: Crucial Primary Care Providers on the Path to Meaningful Use [PDF - 1.42 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 10: Hospital Adoption of Electronic Health Record Technology to Meet Meaningful Use Objectives: 2008-2012 [PDF - 1.24 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 9: Adoption of Electronic Health Record Systems among U.S. Non-federal Acute Care Hospitals: 2008-2012 [PDF - 966 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 8: Supporting Health Information Technology Adoption in Federally Qualified Health Centers [PDF - 1.34 MB]
• ONC Data Brief 7: Physician Adoption of Electronic Health Record Technology to Meet Meaningful Use Objectives: 2009-2012 [PDF - 915 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 6: Vendors of Certified Electronic Health Record Technology: Trends and Distributions from Meaningful Use Attestations as of October 31, 2012 [PDF - 954 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 5: Progress Towards Meaningful Use Among Critical Access and Other Small Rural Hospitals Working with Regional Extension Centers [PDF – 619 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 4: State Variation in E-Prescribing Trends in the United States [PDF - 732 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 3: Training Health IT Professionals [PDF - 529 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 2: Job Postings [PDF - 307 KB]
• ONC Data Brief 1: Adoption of EHRs Increasing [PDF - 555 KB]

• Recent Evidence that Health IT Improves Patient Safety [PDF - 481 KB] is a new issue brief that is part of ONC’s ongoing efforts to help answer questions and demonstrate the role health IT plays in patient safety. This is the first of four Issue Briefs on health IT and patient safety we expect to post by September 2015 through a contract with RTI International on a roadmap for a potential health IT safety center. The Issue Brief reviews four systematic literature reviews that used a consistent methodology and finds consistent and significant net benefits on patient safety from the adoption of health IT.
• Data Sharing to Enable Clinical Transformation at the Community Level: IT Takes a Village [PDF - 501 KB] is one of a series of evaluations of the Beacon program authored by NORC. This brief examines the Beacon Communities approaches to and experiences with building and strengthening their health IT infrastructures, specifically with respect to data sharing to enable clinical transformation. NORC found that despite diverse characteristics, Beacon Communities reported several common promising practices that facilitated data sharing across the local health care systems. Many Beacons also found it crucial to build in flexibility to help practices at all levels of readiness, from smaller practices with basic health IT capabilities to large hospital systems to achieve that data sharing.
• Health IT for Public Health Reporting and Information Systems [PDF - 712 KB] - With increased EHR adoption and public health reporting incentives in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, public health data can now be more rapidly reported to public health agencies. This issue brief describes electronic public health reporting progress for population health, addressing disparities, and public health preparedness. The brief also discusses opportunities to improve public health reporting and information systems.
• Using Health IT to Put the Person at the Center of Their Health and Care by 2020 [PDF - 295 KB] - The "Person at the Center" issue brief further develops the health IT policy framework for achieving a more “person-centric” vision for effective health management by individuals, their caregivers, and their health care teams by the year 2020, supported by health IT. This issue brief describes the vision, core values and goals of the framework as well current related activities underway at ONC and other organizations. The issue brief also describes opportunities, challenges, and next steps toward achieving the vision.
• Medication Adherence and Health IT [PDF - 371 KB] - ONC's Office of Policy and Planning has released an issue brief that provides an overview of medication adherence and how innovations in health IT can increase adherence rates to improve overall population health. This brief outlines activities supported by ONC and identifies opportunities for the expansion of consumer-based tools that encourage patient and caregiver participation in medication management and adherence.
• Patient-Generated Health Data and Health IT [PDF - 307 KB] - Patient-Generated Health Data (PGHD) has been described as health-related data created, recorded, gathered or inferred by or from patients, family personal caregivers or designees to help address a health concern. This issue brief describes work completed to date to support the use of PGHD as well as a range of opportunities and next steps that will help shape policy and standards work in 2014 and beyond.
• Behavioral Health & Health IT Issue Brief [PDF - 364 KB] - The Office of Policy and Planning has released an issue brief that discusses adoption of health IT among behavioral health providers and highlights behavioral health activities supported by ONC and other federal partners.
• Beacon Policy Brief: Building a Foundation of Electronic Data to Measure and Drive Improvement [PDF - 1.3 MB] August 2013
• Achieving eHealth Equity Summit [PDF - 825 KB]
• Evaluation of the Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program [PDF 2.25 MB]
• Health IT in Long-term and Post Acute Care [PDF - 3.18 MB]
• Beacon Communities Present Early Findings [PDF - 284 KB]
• Individuals' Access to Their Own Health Information [PDF - 580 KB]
• The Beacon Community Program: Three Pillars of Pursuit [PDF - 625 KB]
• Beacon Community and EHR Vendor Collaboration: A Catalyst for Interoperability and Exchange [PDF - 1.3 MB]

• Use and Characteristics of Electronic Health Record Systems Among Office-based Physician Practices: United States, 2001-2012