Insufficient standards, concerns about privacy rules, difficulties matching patients to their records, and costs are some of the issues raised by physicians and other health care professionals regarding information exchange when using electronic health records (EHRs). These issues were raised to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) staff and published in a report March 24 ().

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act promotes using health information technology and provides incentive payments to promote the widespread adoption and meaningful use of EHRs. To be a meaningful user, physicians and other health care providers must demonstrate that their certified EHR technology can electronically exchange health information.