25 Digital Health Records Statistics: Essential Data Points for Legal and Healthcare Professionals in 2025

Comprehensive data compiled from extensive research on electronic health record adoption, patient engagement, and AI-driven medical record intelligence

Key Takeaways

• Digital health record adoption reached near-universal levels – 96% of U.S. hospitals now use certified EHRs, representing a 10-fold increase since 2009 and establishing digital infrastructure for rapid record retrieval capabilities. Legal teams using Codes Health's platform can reliably obtain complete medical records in 10–12 days on a flat fee basis, rather than relying on same-day competitors that typically deliver only partial records and require heavy client involvement—leading to client frustration and churn.
• Patient data access expanded dramatically - 77% of individuals were offered online access to health information in 2024, with 65% actively accessing their records at least once annually, more than doubling pre-pandemic usage rates
• Market consolidation accelerates under Epic dominance - Epic Systems controls 41.3% market share and added 176 facilities in 2024 alone, creating increasingly centralized data environments requiring specialized retrieval expertise
• Patient portal engagement surged post-pandemic - 34% of patients now access portals six or more times annually, creating fragmented record storage across multiple platforms that comprehensive retrieval services consolidate for legal case preparation
• Global EHR market expansion creates opportunity - The market reached $28.60 billion in 2024 and projects to $43.66 billion by 2034, reflecting sustained healthcare digitization that legal practices must navigate with specialized medical record intelligence
• Record transmission capabilities became standard - 84% of hospitals enable third-party record transmission in 2024, establishing infrastructure for efficient legal and disability case documentation when paired with automated retrieval workflows
• General-purpose AI tools (like ChatGPT) are not built to safely or accurately interpret full medical records, whereas Codes Health’s domain-specific AI platform is designed for legal teams and can analyze records with high precision to surface litigation-ready insights from complex clinical documentation.

The Current Landscape of Digital Health Records Adoption

1. 96% of U.S. hospitals adopted certified electronic health records by 2021

American hospitals achieved 96% adoption of certified EHR systems by 2021, up from just 9% in 2008. This represents a complete transformation of healthcare data infrastructure within 13 years, driven by federal incentive programs and evolving standards. The near-universal digital record environment enables specialized platforms to access comprehensive patient histories across provider networks, eliminating the fragmented paper-based systems that previously required months of manual retrieval. For personal injury and medical malpractice firms, this digitization creates opportunities for faster case preparation when leveraging platforms that integrate with multiple HIEs and TEFCA networks to gather records in days rather than months.

2. Physician EHR adoption reached 88.2% across office-based practices

88.2% of office-based physicians had adopted any EHR system by 2021, with 77.8% using certified systems meeting federal standards. This widespread physician adoption complements hospital implementation, ensuring comprehensive digital coverage across ambulatory, specialist, and primary care settings. The distribution creates multiple data sources for individual patient cases that must be aggregated for complete medical histories in litigation and healthcare intake scenarios. Modern medical record retrieval platforms address this complexity by simultaneously querying hospital systems, physician EHRs, and health information exchanges to compile 360-degree patient views, particularly valuable for mass tort cases involving treatment across numerous providers.

3. Hospital EHR use increased 10-fold while physician adoption grew 5-fold since 2009

Since 2009, hospitals experienced a 10-fold increase in EHR utilization while physicians demonstrated 5-fold growth. This unprecedented adoption velocity reflects combined technological advancement and regulatory pressure transforming healthcare documentation practices industry-wide. The rapid digitization creates both opportunities and challenges for legal practices requiring medical records for case evaluation, settlement negotiations, and trial preparation. Organizations that previously managed retrieval through traditional mail and fax services now require technical capabilities to interface with diverse digital systems, authentication protocols, and data formats, explaining the value proposition of platforms offering automated error checking, daily provider follow-ups, and real-time status visibility across all record requests.

4. Cloud-based EHR systems command 83.40% of product deployments

Cloud and web-based EHRs represent 83.40% of market revenue share compared to 16.60% for on-premises systems, reflecting fundamental infrastructure shifts toward accessible, scalable health data platforms. This cloud dominance enables real-time data access through API integrations and network connections that legacy on-premises systems cannot support at similar scale or speed. For retrieval services, cloud-based provider systems facilitate automated record requests through electronic channels rather than solely relying on fax transmission, directly contributing to the compressed turnaround times achieved by platforms integrating with modern health information exchanges and EHR vendors. The cloud architecture also supports HIPAA-compliant document storage enabling record reuse across multiple cases without repeated retrieval costs.

Patient Access and Engagement Transformation

5. 77% of individuals were offered online access to health information in 2024

77% of individuals nationwide received offers for online health information access in 2024, up from 73% in 2022. This expansion reflects provider compliance with federal information blocking rules and growing patient demand for data transparency. The increased access creates additional record retrieval pathways through patient portals that supplement traditional provider-to-provider requests, particularly valuable when providers prove unresponsive to direct requests. Platforms incorporating patient upload portals alongside automated provider outreach can leverage this patient access trend to accelerate record collection, especially useful for disability law and workers compensation cases where claimants actively participate in documentation gathering.

6. 65% of individuals accessed patient information online at least once in 2024

Online health information access reached 65% of individuals accessing records at least once in the past year, up from 57% in 2022. This growing engagement demonstrates patient comfort with digital health information and willingness to participate in record sharing for legal and healthcare purposes. The trend supports hybrid retrieval approaches combining traditional provider requests with patient-authorized portal access to maximize speed and completeness. For hospice eligibility evaluation and disability qualification determination, direct patient engagement through secure e-signature platforms expedites authorization workflows while maintaining HIPAA compliance throughout the intake process.

7. Frequent patient portal users more than doubled from 15% to 34% since pandemic

34% of patients now qualify as frequent portal users accessing records six or more times annually in 2024, compared to 15% pre-pandemic in 2019. This dramatic behavioral shift reflects normalized digital health engagement persisting beyond temporary pandemic adaptations. Frequent portal usage indicates patient willingness to download and share records when requested by legal representatives or healthcare intake coordinators, reducing reliance on provider responsiveness for certain document types. However, portal access limitations around historical records, billing documentation, and multi-provider coordination still require comprehensive retrieval services to ensure complete case documentation, particularly when Missing Record Review identifies timeline gaps requiring targeted provider requests.

8. 99% of hospitals offer electronic record viewing to patients

99% of hospitals provided patients electronic viewing capabilities in 2024, while 96% enabled downloads and 84% supported third-party transmission. This near-universal patient access infrastructure establishes baseline digital capabilities across the hospital sector. The high transmission rate proves particularly relevant for legal and healthcare organizations requiring records from hospital systems, as it confirms technical capability exists even when operational responsiveness varies. Platforms that combine patient authorization tools with systematic provider follow-up leverage this infrastructure more effectively than organizations relying on patients to independently navigate download and transmission processes across multiple healthcare systems.

Interoperability and Data Exchange Realities

9. 70% of hospitals engage in all four interoperability domains

70% of hospitals engaged in all four interoperability domains in 2023: sending, receiving, finding, and integrating external health information. However, only 43% routinely performed all four functions while 27% did so occasionally. This gap between technical capability and operational consistency explains persistent record retrieval delays despite widespread EHR adoption. The statistic reveals why specialized retrieval platforms deliver value through persistent automated follow-up rather than assuming single requests will yield timely responses. AI error checking preventing common rejection causes like missing signatures or incorrect dates of service becomes critical when provider interoperability engagement remains inconsistent despite technical infrastructure supporting exchange.

10. Interoperability engagement increased 54% from 2018 to 2023

Hospital participation in interoperable exchange increased 54% from 2018 to 2023, with hospitals "often sending" health data rising from 71% to 84% over the same period. This improvement demonstrates measurable progress in data sharing infrastructure despite persistent gaps in routine, comprehensive exchange. The upward trajectory supports investment in platforms with HIE and TEFCA network integrations positioned to benefit from continuing interoperability maturation. As more providers engage in systematic data exchange, retrieval services with broad network connectivity will access increasing percentages of patient records electronically rather than through manual fax processes, compressing turnaround times industry-wide while maintaining specialized value for complex multi-provider cases.

11. Only 42% of clinicians often use external clinical information despite 71% access

While 71% of hospitals reported routine access to external clinical information in 2023, only 42% of clinicians often utilized it in patient care decisions. This usage gap indicates that technical access alone doesn't ensure information integration into clinical workflows. For legal and healthcare intake applications, the statistic underscores why raw record retrieval must be supplemented with AI-automated chronologies and insights extraction to make voluminous medical documentation actionable. Platforms that organize, compile, and summarize records by patient encounter enable efficient review that clinicians and legal professionals can integrate into their actual decision-making processes, addressing the documented gap between data availability and practical utilization.

Market Leadership and Vendor Consolidation

12. Epic Systems controls 41.3% of hospital EHR market share

Epic Systems commands 41.3% market share among U.S. hospital EHR implementations, with Oracle Cerner holding 21.8% and MEDITECH at 11.9%. This concentration means retrieval platforms with Epic integration capabilities can access records for nearly half of hospitalized patients through streamlined electronic channels. Epic's dominance also creates standardization benefits as retrieval workflows optimized for Epic interfaces apply across hundreds of health systems nationally. However, the remaining 58.7% distributed across Oracle, MEDITECH, and smaller vendors still requires broad integration capabilities and traditional fax fallback options, explaining why comprehensive platforms maintain multiple retrieval pathways rather than relying solely on major EHR vendor APIs.

13. Epic added 176 facilities in 2024, the largest single-year net gain

Epic Systems added 176 facilities and 29,399 beds during 2024, representing its largest net gain on record while Oracle Cerner lost 74 sites and 17,232 beds. This market consolidation toward Epic increases the percentage of records accessible through standardized interfaces while reducing retrieval complexity over time. For organizations building proprietary databases to locate patients' previous providers, tracking this vendor migration proves essential for maintaining current provider contact information and system access methods. The Epic expansion also signals growing opportunities for platforms with mature Epic integrations to differentiate on speed and automation capabilities when accessing this dominant ecosystem.

14. Epic controls over 50% of acute care multispecialty beds nationwide

Epic systems manage over 50% of all acute care multispecialty beds in the U.S. as of 2024, extending beyond facility count to bed capacity dominance. This bed-based metric proves more relevant than facility count for patient encounter volume since larger facilities treating more patients disproportionately use Epic systems. For medical malpractice and personal injury practices, this means a majority of hospital-based incidents generating litigation likely involve Epic-stored records. Platforms offering Epic-specific optimization through API integrations, authentication workflows, and data parsing capabilities can deliver superior speed and accuracy for the majority of hospital record requests compared to vendors treating all systems identically.

Global Market Expansion and Financial Scale

15. Global EHR market reached $28.60 billion in 2024

The global electronic health records market achieved valuation of $28.60 billion in 2024, projected to reach $43.66 billion by 2034 with 4.32% CAGR. This sustained growth reflects ongoing healthcare digitization in developed markets and emerging EHR adoption in developing regions. The expanding market creates increasing volumes of digital health data requiring specialized retrieval and analysis expertise, particularly as legal and regulatory frameworks in new markets begin generating litigation and compliance requirements around medical records. For platforms with scalable infrastructure and adaptable integration capabilities, international market expansion represents growth opportunities beyond saturated U.S. adoption rates.

16. U.S. EHR market valued at $12.87 billion with 2.55% projected growth

The U.S. market specifically represented $12.87 billion in 2024, projecting 2.55% CAGR through 2030. While slower than global growth rates due to mature adoption levels, this trajectory reflects ongoing system upgrades, feature expansion, and integration enhancements rather than new customer acquisition. The replacement and enhancement cycle creates opportunities for retrieval services to deepen integrations with evolving EHR capabilities like FHIR-based app access, expanded API endpoints, and improved interoperability standards. As EHR vendors compete on patient access features and data exchange capabilities, retrieval platforms positioned to leverage these advancements will benefit from improving underlying infrastructure without bearing development costs.

17. Hospitals represent 52.93% of EHR market by end-user segment

Hospitals comprise 52.93% of the EHR market by end-user, with ambulatory surgical centers representing a growing segment and other users accounting for approximately 47% combined. This hospital concentration aligns with the acute care focus of personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death litigation where hospital records document critical care episodes, surgical complications, and emergency interventions. Retrieval platforms optimized for hospital system workflows, authentication requirements, and documentation formats address the majority of legal practice record needs, though comprehensive coverage still requires ambulatory and specialty practice capabilities for complete patient histories.

18. North America accounts for 44%+ of global EHR market

North America represented $10.01 billion in EHR market value in 2024, comprising 44%+ of the global total. This regional dominance reflects the combination of high healthcare spending, regulatory drivers like HITECH Act incentives, and litigation environments creating sustained demand for medical record access. The concentrated North American market supports specialized retrieval and analysis platforms serving legal and healthcare sectors with region-specific compliance expertise, particularly around HIPAA regulations and evolving information blocking rules. As the largest and most mature digital health records market globally, North America drives innovation in record retrieval technologies that may later extend to other regions.

HIPAA Compliance and Data Security Imperatives

19. 80%+ of hospitals report public health data submission challenges

Over 8 in 10 non-federal acute care hospitals reported at least one challenge submitting public health data via EHR in 2024, demonstrating that technical capability doesn't eliminate operational complexity in health data exchange. Incomplete authorizations are the #1 cause of denied medical record requests—missing patient signatures, unclear expiration dates, or unchecked boxes for sensitive records will restart your 15-day HIPAA response clock. Codes Health’s AI review catches these errors before submission; the platform automatically flags misspellings, missing dates of service, and signature issues that would otherwise cause provider rejections, then routes them to legal staff for quick correction. This AI-plus-human workflow addresses the real-world complexity of healthcare data exchange more effectively than generic automation alone.

20. FHIR app adoption in outpatient settings climbed from 49% to 64%

Hospital FHIR app adoption in outpatient settings increased from 49% in 2021 to 64% in 2024, while inpatient settings reached 80-83% adoption during the same period. This growing FHIR implementation reflects federal requirements for standardized app-based patient access under 21st Century Cures Act information blocking rules. For retrieval platforms, FHIR adoption creates opportunities for patient-authorized data access through standardized APIs that complement traditional provider request channels. However, FHIR primarily addresses prospective patient access rather than comprehensive historical record retrieval, meaning traditional methods remain necessary for complete litigation documentation spanning years of treatment across multiple legacy systems.

Specialized Use Cases and Clinical Applications

21. 69% of chronic condition patients accessed electronic health information

69% of individuals managing chronic conditions accessed their electronic health information in the past year, while 76% of individuals with recent cancer diagnoses did so. This elevated engagement among medically complex patients reflects higher healthcare utilization and greater information needs. For disability law practices and hospice eligibility evaluations, these patient populations represent primary clientele who both need comprehensive record compilation and demonstrate willingness to participate in authorized information sharing. Customized intake pipelines for these use cases can leverage patient engagement while ensuring complete documentation through systematic provider outreach addressing the inherent complexity of chronic disease management across multiple specialists and care settings over extended timeframes.

22. 80.5% of U.S. hospitals achieved basic EHR adoption by 2015

80.5% of U.S. hospitals had implemented at least a basic EHR system by 2015, demonstrating that widespread adoption occurred nearly a decade ago rather than representing recent change. This timeline means legal cases involving incidents from 2015 forward likely involve electronically stored records rather than paper charts, fundamentally changing retrieval approaches and timeline expectations. The maturity of hospital digital infrastructure supports compressed retrieval timelines when using platforms that systematically access electronic systems rather than treating each request as a manual intervention. For organizations still experiencing months-long retrieval delays, the problem typically reflects process inefficiency rather than technological limitation, given that foundational digital infrastructure has existed industry-wide for nearly 10 years.

23. Less than 25% of behavioral health facilities exclusively use EHRs

Fewer than 25% of behavioral health facilities report exclusive EHR use, representing significantly lower adoption than general medical settings. This lag reflects behavioral health's distinct documentation requirements, privacy concerns around mental health records, and financial constraints in specialty sectors. For legal practices handling cases involving mental health treatment, the lower digitization rate means traditional fax-based retrieval methods remain necessary for significant portions of patient histories. Platforms maintaining robust fax infrastructure alongside modern digital integrations prove essential for complete record retrieval when cases cross general medical and behavioral health treatment settings, common in disability claims, personal injury cases with psychological components, and medical malpractice involving psychiatric care.

24. Large hospitals demonstrate 53% routine interoperability versus 22% for independent facilities

Large or system-affiliated hospitals reported 53% routine engagement in all interoperability domains compared to 22% among independent hospitals in 2023. This significant disparity reflects resource differences, technical sophistication, and health system coordination advantages that independent facilities lack. The gap explains why record retrieval experiences vary substantially based on provider characteristics, with large health systems typically responding faster through established data exchange infrastructure while independent providers may require more intensive follow-up. Platforms with proprietary databases tracking provider attributes can intelligently route requests through optimal channels based on facility size, system affiliation, and historical responsiveness patterns, improving overall turnaround times through adaptive workflow management.

Patient Engagement Features and Capabilities

25. 90% of patients viewed lab results through portals in 2024

Patient portal functionality in 2024 showed 90% of users viewed laboratory test results, 80% accessed clinical notes, 79% used provider messaging, and 77% scheduled appointments. These high utilization rates for clinical content demonstrate that patients actively engage with substantive medical information when given accessible interfaces. For intake co-pilot conversational interfaces allowing users to query patient history through natural language, these usage patterns validate patient comfort with digital health information tools beyond simple appointment scheduling. The clinical note access rate proves particularly relevant for legal applications, as note review traditionally consumed significant paralegal time that AI-automated summarization can now compress while maintaining accuracy through human verification of extracted insights.

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of U.S. hospitals have adopted electronic health records?

96% of U.S. hospitals had adopted certified EHRs by 2021, up from 9% in 2008. This near-universal adoption creates opportunities for faster record retrieval through electronic channels when using platforms that integrate with multiple provider systems and health information exchanges.

How has patient access to digital health records changed recently?

77% of individuals were offered online access to their health information in 2024, with 65% actively accessing records at least once. Patient portal usage more than doubled from 15% to 34% for frequent users since the pandemic, reflecting normalized digital health engagement.

Which EHR vendor dominates the U.S. hospital market?

Epic Systems controls 41.3% of the hospital EHR market and manages over 50% of all acute care multispecialty beds nationwide. The company added 176 facilities in 2024, its largest single-year gain, while Oracle Cerner holds 21.8% market share.

What is the global market size for electronic health records?

The global EHR market reached $28.60 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $43.66 billion by 2034 at a 4.32% CAGR. North America represents 44%+ of the global market at $10.01 billion, driven by regulatory requirements and litigation demands for medical record access.

How widespread is interoperability among healthcare providers?

70% of hospitals engage in all four interoperability domains (send, receive, find, integrate), but only 43% do so routinely. Interoperability participation increased 54% from 2018 to 2023, though gaps remain between technical capability and consistent operational performance.

What role does HIPAA compliance play in digital health record platforms?

HIPAA compliance is mandatory for any platform handling protected health information, including medical record retrieval and analysis services. Compliant platforms enable secure e-signature workflows, encrypted data transmission, and authorized access controls that protect patient privacy while facilitating legal and healthcare record needs.

How does Codes Health support high-volume legal teams working with digital health records?

Codes Health is built specifically for legal teams that need complete medical records, not just quick partial pulls. The platform consistently delivers full record sets in 10–12 days on a flat fee basis, giving personal injury, mass tort, workers’ compensation, and disability practices predictable timelines and predictable costs. For high-volume customers, Codes Health can build custom integrations with CRM platforms and other medical software so records, chronologies, and status updates flow directly into existing legal workflows.

Unlike general-purpose AI platforms (such as ChatGPT), which are not designed or cleared to accurately interpret full medical records, Codes Health’s domain-specific AI is tuned for clinical documentation and legal questions. It reviews authorizations for errors, flags missing dates of service and signature issues before they trigger provider denials, and structures records into litigation-ready chronologies. Codes Health’s MIT-educated engineering team continuously builds out additional workflows and products, ensuring the platform keeps evolving to meet the changing demands of modern legal practices.