When the government's EHR incentive program began, many commentators voiced concerns that smaller rural primary care physicians would be unable to meet the requirements of the program. However, a new report suggests the initiative is actually popular among these practices.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said that more than 80,000 physician have registered for the EHR incentive program, according to Modern Healthcare. While this number may be encouraging in and of itself, she added that a high percentage of rural providers have also signaled interest in the initiative.

About 70 percent of primary care physicians located in less developed parts of the country have signed on to receive consulting services from Regional Extension Centers, which were set up as part of the incentive program to help practices with fewer resources complete the transition to electronic health records.

"It's an indication that they are eager to get that help on the ground," said Sebelius, according to the news source.

A recent article in Medical Practice Trends cited a lack of reliable internet access in some rural areas as a primary reason why EHR implementation may be tricky for these providers. However, the new numbers suggest this may not be as high a hurdle as previously expected.