Take a tiny step back for the OBVIOUS and SIMPLE solution.
The recent mandatory adaptation of electronic health records (EHR) have doctors completing clerical work and staring into the computer tablet's screen during patient care. This is harming the quality of patient care for a multitude of reasons.
The use of a tablet during patient care causes an immense disconnection between the doctor and patient. Healthcare providers are overlooking clues from their patients by missing out on eye contact and the stories that come with the patient. This could lead to more medical testing and a prolonged wait for a diagnosis.
The multi-tasking needed to work with the tablet decreases productivity. More than one in four physicians reports a decrease in productivity while interfacing with the EHR system. One has to look at the multitude of research which has repeatedly shown that multi-tasking lowers productivity and accuracy. A loss of accuracy can mean the difference between life and death in cases of over prescribing medications and missing subtle clues to medical diagnoses. In addition, inaccuracy in medical documentations leads to malpractice lawsuits. Accurate documentation is a fundamental building block, not only regarding alleged case of malpractice, but all legal concerns. If the records are lost, incomplete, or inaccurate, the job of malpractice defenders gets increasingly difficult.
Doctors have found that performing this clerical work during patient care has added time to their service, which means a decrease in the amount of medical care patients receive, as well as a decrease in the amount of patients a healthcare provider can see during a day. Not only does this put each and every one of us at risk for critical errors in our health management, it drastically reduces the doctor's income, which, in turn will cause our personal out-of-pocket medical expenses to skyrocket even higher! Once this is coupled with the large amount of doctors retiring to avoid adapting these costly regulations, it becomes increasingly more difficult for people to have access to quality medical care.
Additionally, healthcare providers are continually fretting over interfacing with their systems. Over half of all physicians are already seeking a new EHR platform due to lack of technical support and functionality. This shopping around and learning multiple systems takes additional time away that could be spent on direct patient care, as well as adding even more to the cost of EHR implementation.
OBVIOUS AND SIMPLE SOLUTION: To avoid all of the losses incurred with tablet use, countless doctors have taken a tiny step back and have returned to dictating during the day and sending out work to transcription services---the professionals who are educated in QUALITY MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION. Not only are doctors comfortable using the system of dictation that has been standard for generations, it has proven to be accurate and reliable. In no way does this negate the purpose of the Electronic Health Record, as it is simply the missing step to getting it right; by allowing doctors to doctor and medical transcription professionals to do the ACCURATE DOCUMENTATION! Many transcription services have upgraded staff training and technology to be able to interface directly with EHR systems at any medical facility.
A leader in the medical transcription business for 25 years, Mary Goehring states: "Once we saw that EHR was going to be mandatory, I made sure my entire staff was proficient in interfacing with all the EHR systems available. We have had doctor-clients leave us and return after experiencing extreme frustration and failing to successfully implement EHR clerical work during patient care. It still gets done according to exact EHR regulations; the difference being absolute accuracy of healthcare documentation, while the doctors reclaim their job of patient care. Quick turn-around is more efficient and accurate than what the doctors were doing on their own."
The American people are going to suffer in the end. Our healthcare costs will be more expensive, we will not experience the warm doctor/patient relationship and it will be harder to make appointments with our doctors. I urge you to contact your doctor today, and let them know of the simple solutions in providing better healthcare for our future. Thank you.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mary A. Goehring
Founder/CEO, Transcription Plus, LLC
[email protected]
860.583.2818
Please visit our website: www.transcriptionplus.net
Hirsch, M. (2012, August 28). Survey: Physician use of EHRs has met 'critical mass' Read more: Survey: Physician use of EHRs has met 'critical mass' - FierceEMR http://www.fierceemr.com/story/survey-physician-use-ehrs-has-met-critical-mass/2012-08-28#ixzz2uDp0abfP InFierce EMR. Retrieved March 24, 2014