September 2009

Despite what some vendors and politicians may think, for physicians it's not all about the money; even if it were, $44,000 is not nearly enough to cover the costs associated with implementing a full-featured EHR.

What if our tort system required the losing side to pay for the winner's legal fees and costs?

Microsoft shot itself in the foot when it released Windows Vista in 2007. Windows Vista was widely derided as inferior to Windows XP, and to this day, many users have refused to upgrade or purchase a new computer with the Vista operating system.

Parents listen to our every word of "anticipatory guidance" when kids are small, but when it comes to tween and teen issues online, parents somehow start mistakenly thinking they don't need us as much.

High costs, unreliable vendors, lengthy installation and transition processes, disruptions to workflow, reduced productivity--it's no wonder that so few practices have adopted full-featured EHRs.

The Joint Commission, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and other organizations have identified medication errors and the points of transition during patients’ care that increase their likelihood as promising targets in the push to improve quality outcomes. Communication, coordination of care, and the effective application of health IT hold the key to reducing errors and improving patient safety.

Given that healthcare reform is such a contentious subject in the United States, it is not surprising that conflicts have arisen between physicians and patients who hold different views and who aren’t shy about discussing those opinions in the examination room.