Guest Blog: Electronic medical records and its rushed implementation ... Kevin Pho, M.D. | KevinMD

[CC-Conrad Clyburn-MedForeSight]

Colleagues,

As many of you know, Kevin Pho, M.D. is one of social media's leading physician voices on evolving technology and its impact on medical practice ...

... Please see his recent cautionary blog on the U.S. EHR adoption initiative. In particular see the "comments" that follow the blog ...

... They point to an important debate that is emerging between physicians accustomed to robust EHR systems (Kaiser Permanente, VA, Mayo, ect.) and small and solo practice physicians that have deep concerns about EHR adoption and what it means for their futures ... An important discussion ...

ENJOY!

CC

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Electronic medical records are being aggressively pushed by the government.

As most know, they’re pouring billions of dollars into the initiative, hoping the spur adoption among doctors and hospitals.

But, like most government-provided financial incentives, they come with a host of regulations designed by those with little understanding
of physician practice...

... Implementing an electronic medical record is a tremendously disruptive process, both from a financial
and workflow standpoint. In most cases, physician productivity is slowed, and patient care worsened, while they adapt to these systems that are often not intuitive to use...

Read original post and comments at: http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/05/electronic-medical-records-rush...

[CC-Conrad Clyburn-MedForeSight]

Nyere,

I agree. The Chart below depicting the simultaneous addressing of process engineering and organizational culture change may parallel your thoughts?

[Nyere Hollingsworth]

Thanks for the post CC. These concerns are similar to those raised by sales organizations that have invested in CRM applications. There is a wealth of research that leads to the conclusion that such radical changes to work flow require business process reengineering to ensure that the technology that is implemented generates efficiences and adds value. As we deploy these systems we must not forget that the technology is only part of the system and that there is a process piece that must be fully understood and adapted to ensure effective usage and adoption.