There is general agreement that using health information technology should result in safer, more effective, and higher-quality care; but, accurate estimates of the adoption rate of electronic health records in hospitals are lacking. We conducted a study to determine if certain electronic record functions are present in all acute care hospitals that are members of the Hospital . The percentage of hospitals using electronic health record systems in their clinical regions was ascertained by applying an expert consensus definition to the word. We also looked at the connections between the use of electronic health records and particular hospital features as well as elements that were said to either encourage or hinder adoption. Only 1.5% of the 63.1% of hospitals that responded to the survey of the hospitals, 7.6% have a basic electronic records system (found in at least one clinical unit), while the remaining institutions have a complete system (found in all clinical units). Medication provider order input by computer has only been adopted in 17% of hospitals. Electronic record-keeping was more common in larger, metropolitan hospitals as well as teaching institutions. The greatest obstacles to adoption, according to respondents, are capital needs and high maintenance expenses. However, hospitals that use electronic record-keeping systems were less likely to mention these obstacles than those that do not. In conclusion:The extremely low rates of electronic health record usage in hospitals indicate that legislators will have a difficult time achieving health care performance targets that rely on health IT. To encourage the use of electronic records systems in hospitals, policymakers should prioritize interoperability, funding, and technical support staff training.