Doctors love their iPads, as we’ve discussed before on the MED Blog. But ironically, most don’t seem to be using them in a way that could reduce costs and prevent complications for patients.

While more than one in four primary care and specialty physicians own an iPad or other tablet, according to American Medical News, at best a little more than half and at worst just 9.7% by state have a basic electronic health record (EHR) system, according to estimates from the CDC’s National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

That doesn’t make sense to one expert.

“When you compare the power of tablet and cloud computing with a strong EHR adoption rate, the potential for savings and markedly increased quality of patient care could skyrocket,” Angel Garcia, author, physician, and CEO of EHR solutions provider Global Medical Consultants, says in a press release. Garcia says widespread EHR adoption could reduce healthcare costs by more than 30 percent each year.

But if doctors aren’t using their iPads in their practices, what are they doing with them?

“… Let’s face it—some doctors are surfing the web and downloading movies and music on a device that could help save the industry that is in crisis,” Garcia says. “It’s time for the healthcare industry to catch up to every other industry in the civilized world and adopt an electronic solution for not just record-keeping but more importantly clinical tracking of medical problems that will make their patients safer and healthcare affordable.”

If fancy tablets aren't doing the trick, what will it take to get doctors to embrace EHRs?

—Jamie Hartford