I have penned several posts on the pitfalls of the electronic medical record (EMR) system that we physicians must use. Indeed, I challenge you to find a doctor who extols the EMR platform without qualification. Sure, there are tremendous advantages, and the ease of use has improved substantially since it first came onto the scene. But, keep in mind that these systems were not devised and implemented because physicians demanded them. To the contrary, they were designed to simplify and automate billing and coding. While this made their tasks considerably easier, it was at physicians' expense. Features that helped billers and insurance companies didn’t help us take care of living and breathing human beings. It made us focus on silly documentation requirements in order to be fairly reimbursed. And, it offered very clumsy mechanisms to record a patient’s history – the story of your symptoms – which is our most valuable piece of medical data. You simply can't cli
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.