The number of office-based physicians who have adopted EHR systems has doubled since 2008, according to new survey data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report indicates that 34 percent of doctors are currently using electronic record-keeping systems. Just 17 percent of physicians were using the technology in 2008, in the months immediately prior to the passage of the HITECH Act, which provided the funding for the EHR incentive program.

Furthermore, the report indicates that primary care physicians are among the leaders in EHR implementation, as more than 39 percent of these professionals are currently using the technology.

Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the numbers underscore the kind of rapid transition to EHRs that is needed to solve many of the country's most pressing healthcare problems, including high costs and poor outcomes.

However, she added that too many offices are still using the kind of record-keeping systems used by Hippocrates, and that the government needs to continue to push for country-wide adoption of EHR systems and other health IT tools.