Anyway, you can see how strongly I feel about this. There are many corps in a race to put out the best software package(s) and grab market share so eventually it will all be streamlined and a lot less people will be f'd up by errors.

stlhead said "Anyway, you can see how strongly I feel about this."

I find your statement interesting, and it supports my belief that while most Liberals tend to feel and react, the majority of conservatives are more likely to think and reason, before coming to a conclusion, and then taking action if any is in fact warranted.

LOL

x Ten Bazillion Gillion.

Fish on...

Todd

"I believe it supports my belief"


Your beliefs support your beliefs? A RWWJ caught in an infinite loop.

+ a few more bazillion

It brings me pleasure to see how easily the Left hand side of the peanut gallery is amused.

It's not easy...but thankfully the RWWJ's around here work at it, and hard.

Fish on...

Todd

And if a googol of giggles were possible the LWWJs provide them.

While mental health goes begging in this country. Why can't we fix it?
It might take profiling. Heaven forbid. Higher taxes too. JFC

Yeah those RWNJ's really thought out 9/11 and the two subsequent wars! Bunch of brainiacs.


Fishy

Not to worry. You will never be put in the position to define a
response to an atrocity like 911 or the follow up in the ME.

The computerized entries are no guarantee mistakes won't be made. Investing in good risk management processes would be much higher yield.

Just because you can read a computerized entry in the EHR doesn't necessarily mean you'll think to look at it, let alone be able to efficiently find and retrieve it. I can draw a picture in seconds depicting all the key pathology that would take 10-20 times as long to describe in a keyboard narrative. Or I could try drawing it on the computer and have it look like a pre-schooler's sketch ala Stam holding a fish... and then spend another 5 minutes labelling it. JFC! What a waste of time!

The computer is just an alternative data storage strategy. A mind boggling SLOW ass process to get the $hit in, and in the best of circumstances possibly just as easy to get the $hit out compared to a paper record. Net workflow is a HUGE negative.

And god forbid when the computer hiccups (yeah like that $hit never happens) or when the power goes out. A lot of good that computer is gonna do you. My pen works just fine without electricity.

It is a great strategy to gather collective data on billing and utilization of services, and third party payors LOVE it for that reason. That's the true benefit to the industry.... it's a great "big brother" tool.

I know some think of it as a pain in the ass but there are others, Doctors and Nurses, who have switched from practicing to IT consulting because they truly feel they can help many more patients in the long run by getting us out of pen and paper mode.

Our generation will probably never have everything on the EMR because there is too much data floating around in files. But the younger generations will fully benefit from it. And it will reduce malpractice. Of course procedures would need to followed, like checking the computer, just as they need to be followed today.

In my example with your allergies listed on the EMR eventually all systems will be required to read that. If the doc, pharmacy, whomever enters a prescription that contains a drug, ingredient, etc that the patient is allergic to it will produce a big warning. The conflict checking that goes on behind the scene against the FDB is very complicated. How do I know? The code I wrote is being used right now in places like the Mayo clinic.

A lot of docs are now doing their rounds using hand helds like IPADS and in the future I bet even an EMT will have a hand held device linked to the EMR. For the unconscious maybe it will scan finger print or retina. An unconscious patient having a heart attack the EMT selects Epinephrine the screen might show "CRITICAL ALLERGY TO EPINEPHRINE!!!". Just saved a life. Or the scan may show what chronic condition or disease the patient suffers from. And of course it would show all of the prescribed meds the patient is taking. Way too many positives out way the negatives.

And all computer systems these days have redundencies built in for power outages or disaster recovery especially hospitals.

I remember when people complained about having to scan bar codes. In the medical world bar codes are not only time saving but life saving now.

The EMR will also be used to track diseases and such by population which won't be patient specific. Something like "Why is there a higher rate of Thyroid cancer in Seattle than other cities?" Or it can be used to track Mental and behavioural disorders by population and maybe solve our mass murderer problems.

"Just a minute.....I have to log in"
"Your name again?"
"SS number?"
"Sir? Sir? Sir, are you OK?"

Half way thru 2013.....

and it still f'n sucks!

JFC! Productivity stifled by 25-30% minimum.

Quality of care a definite minus.

Liability to both Dr and patient a quantum leap greater... esp for us decisive "gitter dun" docs.

The ones that enjoy sitting on their asses futzing and mulling over their diagnostic/treatment options, contemplating what to do next will probably do just fine. They still won't get zhit done.

Fish or cut bait....

I'd rather be fishing.

ACA is a joke.