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Posted by Samuel W. Velsor IV - via Washington Post
First off, as somebody who works with Silicon Valley companies, I have to tell you that 4 years is practically a lifetime in technology. Since his first quote is from the author of a study published in 2005, that's already dated. Some of the other, more recent quotes, are probably more accurate. In fact, a recent outage of fiber-optic telephone lines in my area crippled clinics that rely on electronic records. So there are undoubtedly some flaws. That said, other studies repeatedly show flaws in the current paper-based system as well. And these usually cost lots of money and many lives. A point which is never raised in this story at all.
A fairly one-sided look at the issue that doesn't explore the downsides of the current system at all, or many of the successes of the new systems. The one he does cite is somewhat of a throwaway line. It's also a stupid headline. Of course they're not a cure-all. Nobody ever said they would be. They're just supposed to make care--especially dispersed care--more efficient.
A biased report one possible reason being a matter this complex should have had more then one author.
Having been an IT manager in a medical practice that tried to go electronic 100% in 2003 I can understand some of the problems but we by no means had all the problems that you are stating. One major issue was the actual doctors who were most opposed to change further problem is computers required more one on one time with a patient instead of the "Assembly line" approach with the most detail coming from the dictation. Electronic records is vital to insure that a patient is seen and ... More »
Today, barely 8 percent of hospitals have even a basic electronic medical system. Only 17 percent of physicians use electronic records, and many of those are uninstalling ... More »
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