It seems to me there has been far too much attention given to what parties other than doctors and patients want from health care reform. Why should the doctor become a data-entry clerk for the benefit of others? Software systems typically provide a myriad of fields to be filled in, which have no value to the doctor or the patient.
The patient wants to receive the best care as soon as possible at minimum financial or medical risk. The doctor wants to provide the best care possible with the same minimum financial or medical risk. The doctor needs access to the most meaningful information at the right time and in the context of the patient complaint. Why re-enter data about things already known rather than using pertinent and new information to treat the patient?
If health care reform is to work it must benefit the doctor and the patient first then satisfy the requirements of the government and the payer, not the other way around. Effective systems must provide relevant information at the point of care not require entry of more than the minimum information.
The doctor and the patient should be considered the first beneficiaries of reform.
John McCormick, Sr.
Editor's Note: Our guest contributor today, John McCormick is a Director at EMRlogic. Prior to joining EMRlogic, John served as COO at Cambridge-based InterSystems. His vision and leadership have been instrumental in building EMRlogic’s knowledgebase-driven and active content-powered EHRs.
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