A case study examining the experiences of nine hospitals with comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) systems finds that the systems facilitate patient safety and quality improvement in many ways. Using checklists and predictive tools, embedded clinical guidelines, and electronic prescribing, these hospitals have achieved faster, more accurate communication and streamlined processes, which in turn have improved patient flow, minimized duplicative tests, enabled faster responses to patient inquiries, improved capture of charges, and generated federal incentive payments.