| I was overjoyed by a recent article describing | | | | That's because the variety of ways records are |
| how the Department of Veteran Affairs health | | | | currently kept are so complicated that |
| system is now virtually paperless. An electronic | | | | communication between doctors and patients can |
| patient database is something I've spoken of | | | | be tragically short-circuited. I think all of us on the |
| before, and I am always shocked when I hear of | | | | administrative side of this question have |
| medical offices where computerization is not a | | | | experienced the problems which can arise when |
| fact of life. This technology saves lives: | | | | trying to coordinate care with another doctor's |
| "Electronic medical records make confusing and | | | | office. |
| physically unwieldy masses of data instantly | | | | My current place of employment is online and |
| available, portable and searchable -- altogether | | | | current, and I can speak from personal |
| more useful than when the information was | | | | experience that it is the best way to deliver |
| stored on paper. Computer-accessible records | | | | service to the patient. I think it's the way of the |
| have the potential to save the cost-strangled | | | | future. It's progress. |
| American medical system billions of dollars in | | | | One of the practical benefits as far as I'm |
| waste, repetition and error. They may also prove | | | | concerned is how it helps eliminate the possible |
| to be essential tools of research, allowing | | | | problems caused by bad handwriting! We all know |
| scientists to examine patterns of medical practice, | | | | that doctors aren't the most graceful people in |
| drug use, complication rates and health outcomes." | | | | terms of penmanship, and I welcome a medical |
| The article mentioned how after Hurricane Katrina, | | | | record that is neat and cleanly typed. |
| many veterans whose physical medical records | | | | Now, electronic medical records can mean many |
| were scattered to the winds were able to get | | | | things to many people. We use a system that |
| their prescriptions thanks to electronically stored | | | | takes our dictations and places them in an online |
| information. | | | | medical records system. This way, the doctors |
| Given the Bush administration's secrecy and | | | | never had to change anything about the way |
| surveillance on people's privacy, I can understand | | | | they did things, but from one day to the next we |
| the qualms some people might have over a | | | | found we'd entered the digital age. The EMR was |
| national health network. However, the article | | | | actually free, we only pay for the transcription. It |
| makes the far more compelling point that | | | | has actually proven to be one of those rare |
| electronic records "could enable clinicians to reduce | | | | experiences where the company under-promised |
| the level of preventable deaths by 50 percent by | | | | and over-delivered. |
| 2013." | | | | |