In his State of the Union Address this week, the President specifically praised electronic medical records.

We will make wider use of electronic records and other health information technology, to help control costs and reduce dangerous medical errors.

Our office has had electronic medical records from the day we opened, three years ago. I believe that electronic records make possible improvements in patient care that are impossible with paper charts. Automatic checking for drug interactions and secure access from remote locations are just two examples. Our office has been such enthusiastic proponents of electronic records that the company that makes our medical records software, A4 Health Systems, published a case study of our practice.