Current Events > why are people against electronic medical records?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I just had to go to the eye doctor for the first time in 7 years, so I called up my old optomitrist and found out that he retired and sold his practice, and the person that had bought it moved it over 2 counties that is just too far for me to get to...so I go to this new place and boom, all my records were there on the computer

I was glad because it's been so long, I don't even know the terms for my eye problems I was afraid I was gonna have to go through tests again but I was good

why are people so against having electronic medical records?
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If the system goes down for a day you can't access anyone's records. That doesn't happen with paper
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And they could be hacked.

The Pentagon keeps its most sensitive documents in hard copy.
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Roxborough4Ever posted...

I just had to go to the eye doctor for the first time in 7 years, so I called up my old optomitrist and found out that he retired and sold his practice, and the person that had bought it moved it over 2 counties that is just too far for me to get to...so I go to this new place and boom, all my records were there on the computer

I was glad because it's been so long, I don't even know the terms for my eye problems I was afraid I was gonna have to go through tests again but I was good

why are people so against having electronic medical records?

Those records were only there because you probably went to a large chain/franchise optometrist.

In reality, medical professionals cannot share those medical records with other practices unless a patient signs a form under HIPAA laws. This is a pretty bureaucratic system that usually results in new patients not having their records and thus we waste time/care/resources repeating needless tests, or otherwise sitting on our hands until they sign the paper in the office and we wait for the records possibly in the next business day or two.

Also, EMRs are very cumbersome in terms of how many areas need to be filled out and how many check boxes there are, etc. It's really nothing more than a billing platform for insurance companies and they use it as needless busy work that does not impact medical care, but if it is not filled out exactly right they use it as a basis to not reimburse you for the services provided.

They provide a mild benefit and are a massive headache. and colossal waste of time. At least in how they're utilized.
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Also,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB_tSFJsjsw
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Easier storage and more accountability are the big benefits from them.
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OpheliaAdenade posted...

Easier storage and more accountability are the big benefits from them.

An interface menu. You click to open a patient's chart. There is a separate box you need to click to open a window to type in the history. Now you click out of it to save and have to move to another section. Click another box to open the physical exam and document in there. You forgot to note one thing in the history. You back track to open that window back up. Now you move down to assessment and open a box that opens another box that has several other boxes to fill in medication/lab/imaging/procedure orders. Each of those are separate boxes in which you then have to search through a database to find the exact descriptor of what you want. By the way there is another separate box you need to back track three "layers" to reach where you want to send the prescription to electronically. At each level, a pop up of an entirely useless warning comes up that you have to click out of.

EMRs are as if the world went back to early 90s-era computing. They're software from hell. They don't help doctors and nurses do their job. Like I said, fill it out ad nauseum exactly like the insurance company wants or they use it as justification to not pay you. It leads to doctors copy-pasting templates that don't document what went on as well as old paper charts did.

Granted, EMRs could be great if they weren't tethered to billing.
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Soviet_Poland posted...

OpheliaAdenade posted...

Easier storage and more accountability are the big benefits from them.

An interface menu. You click to open a patient's chart. There is a separate box you need to click to open a window to type in the history. Now you click out of it to save and have to move to another section. Click another box to open the physical exam and document in there. You forgot to note one thing in the history. You back track to open that window back up. Now you move down to assessment and open a box that opens another box that has several other boxes to fill in medication/lab/imaging/procedure orders. Each of those are separate boxes in which you then have to search through a database to find the exact descriptor of what you want. By the way there is another separate box you need to back track three "layers" to reach where you want to send the prescription to electronically. At each level, a pop up of an entirely useless warning comes up that you have to click out of.

EMRs are as if the world went back to early 90s-era computing. They're software from hell. They don't help doctors and nurses do their job. Like I said, fill it out ad nauseum exactly like the insurance company wants or they use it as justification to not pay you. It leads to doctors copy-pasting templates that don't document what went on as well as old paper charts did.

Granted, EMRs could be great if they weren't tethered to billing.

So they just need them be redesigned to be useful and allow doctors to freely share them with other doctors and things would work great.
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Soviet_Poland posted...

OpheliaAdenade posted...

Easier storage and more accountability are the big benefits from them.

An interface menu. You click to open a patient's chart. There is a separate box you need to click to open a window to type in the history. Now you click out of it to save and have to move to another section. Click another box to open the physical exam and document in there. You forgot to note one thing in the history. You back track to open that window back up. Now you move down to assessment and open a box that opens another box that has several other boxes to fill in medication/lab/imaging/procedure orders. Each of those are separate boxes in which you then have to search through a database to find the exact descriptor of what you want. By the way there is another separate box you need to back track three "layers" to reach where you want to send the prescription to electronically. At each level, a pop up of an entirely useless warning comes up that you have to click out of.

EMRs are as if the world went back to early 90s-era computing. They're software from hell. They don't help doctors and nurses do their job. Like I said, fill it out ad nauseum exactly like the insurance company wants or they use it as justification to not pay you. It leads to doctors copy-pasting templates that don't document what went on as well as old paper charts did.

Granted, EMRs could be great if they weren't tethered to billing.

Yea, I only know of them from a billing point of view since that is what I do. They do seem to make the clinicians miserable, but from a billing perspective they've been helpful.
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Soviet_Poland posted...

Also,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB_tSFJsjsw

This is brilliant. Guy has some talent.
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I'm glad Stanford has all their areas connected. Makes my life soooo much easier when going there. Especially with remembering prior medications and treatments.
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