| The management of medical transcription, | | | | admission or proper treatment. Part of the reason |
| medicare billing, cpt codes, and other medical | | | | for the delay is finding medical records. Doctors |
| records has typically consisted of wall to wall files | | | | fear mistreatment of patients, and they avoid |
| of paper records. According to a recent survey | | | | rushing into the treatment of patients for whom |
| conducted by Accenture, most health care | | | | they have no records. An electronic medical |
| consumers feel that switching to the electronic | | | | record will move things along considerably. An |
| medical record would improve the quality of health | | | | electronic record can be transferred |
| care and the security of their records. | | | | instantaneously between databases, providing |
| Accenture was not the first to tap into the | | | | faster and better treatment. Pres. Bush went so |
| electronic medical record possibilities. Pres. Bush, | | | | far as to say that more lives would be saved. |
| quoting health care experts in January of 2005, | | | | Indeed, the electronic medical record seems to be |
| said that the electronic medical record could | | | | the safer choice. |
| reduce medical costs by 20%. In his State of the | | | | Health care consumers feel the same way about |
| Union address in 2004, Bush said he would like to | | | | the electronic medical record improving the speed |
| see all paper medical records converted to | | | | of health care. 78% of respondents to the |
| electronic medical records within 10 years. | | | | Accenture survey believe that the electronic |
| Electronic Medical Records are "Preventative | | | | medical record "will reduce the amount of time |
| Medicine" | | | | patients spend waiting in doctors' offices and |
| Pres. Bush has often referred to his proposals for | | | | emergency rooms." |
| changes in medical practice as "Preventative | | | | The Electronic Medical Record is a Preventative |
| Medicine." That title would be an accurate title for | | | | Medicine that is Not Only Safer but also Cheaper |
| the way American health care consumers feel | | | | Imagine reducing the cost of medical care, as |
| about switching to the electronic medical record. | | | | Pres. Bush imagined. There could be many |
| According to the Accenture survey, 92% of the | | | | reasons why the faster, safer, electronic medical |
| respondents agreed that switching to the | | | | record reduces health care costs. Whatever the |
| electronic medical record system would reduce | | | | reason, consumers agree with Pres. Bush. In fact, |
| health care errors. Not only do an overwhelming | | | | 75% of the respondents to the Accenture |
| majority of health care consumers feel that | | | | survey also said that they believe the electronic |
| health care errors would be reduced, but 93% of | | | | medical record will reduce medical costs. |
| respondents feel that the switch to the electronic | | | | The change to an electronic medical record |
| medical record would improve the overall quality | | | | system is very much a business and consumer |
| of health care. | | | | affair. Pres. Bush's "preventative medicine" could |
| This is understandable for anyone who has had to | | | | provide a safer, faster, cheaper, and overall higher |
| go to the emergency room and wait for an | | | | quality health care system. |
| undetermined amount of time to receive | | | | |