Ohio Paying Doctors to go Digital

Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio announced yesterday that he will allocate $6 million in federal stimulus funds to help 1,352 primary care physicians switch from paper to electronic records.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, only 25% of Ohio's 30,000 physicians use electronic records. The federal government will soon require that all medical practices utilize electronic records.

"It's indefensible for us to accept the status quo,"

Strickland said in an interview.

"It's time that we use the capabilities we now have available."

This money is part of a $28.5 million federal stimulus package the state received in February.