From timetables to training, implementing a new system is more about people than computers.

Only four percent of physicians use a fully functional EHR that satisfies federally promoted certification requirements, while another 14 percent have basic systems.

If you want to better understand why less than 20 percent of doctors have implemented EHRs, visit the website of a vendor called Extormity, dedicated to offering "highly proprietary, difficult to customize and prohibitively expensive" software.

The Google PHR that debuted in May connects to an impressive list of healthcare organizations. But the rival PHR from Microsoft has landed a big fish called Kaiser Permanente.

Baffled by look-alike terms such as electronic health record, electronic medical record, and personal health record? A $500,000 federal study tries to clear things up.

Here's one more reason why the feds are pushing for a nationwide health information network--the ability to scour millions of electronic records and catch unexpected drug side effects as soon as possible.

A new study from the AC Group identifies seven EHR vendors that give you the most digital bang for your buck.

Until I get an EHR, I've been typing my care notes into a Microsoft Word template. Then I print them out, sign them, and store them in the patient's chart. I save the electronic copy in read-only format on a network server that's password protected. Do you see any weaknesses in this system that, in a malpractice trial, might give a plaintiffs' attorney the opportunity to suggest that I could have altered records?

First, give physicians incentives to adopt EHRs. Then make their use compulsory. It's a game plan from an offshoot of the National Governors Association for promoting digital medicine on a state level.