A Dose of Reality
Thanks to Obama's rah-rah health care reform, the general public is turning an ear to EHR. But what exactly are they hearing? At first mention of EHRs in the stimulus package, news outlets swooped in with the "revolutionizing health care" angle. A national network? Let's do it.
As time progresses and the economy keeps swirling in the toilet bowl, reports about the trials and travails of EHR adoption--and the fact that most providers are still paperbound--are creeping through. But I wonder how much the average American is soaking up any details beyond "Go digital."
In the latest breach of patient privacy, a billing manager at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) misplaced about 40-50 billing tickets while riding the subway to work. The tickets listed patients' names, Social Security numbers and personal health information (PHI).
One patient was notified that details about his HIV treatment were included on the misplaced ticket, according to reports.
His response?
"I was really angry at first because I thought everything in the hospital was supposed to be electronic and things wouldn't get lost..." the patient told reporters.
Yes, even the big guys at MGH aren't fully digital. But does the public realize that?
The breach was announced just as a new study was released in the New England Journal of Medicine finding that only about 9 percent of hospitals use EHRs, and only 2 percent have comprehensive EHRs. So much for the assumption that your records are safely secured in cyberspace.
Whether adoption accelerates or maintains a sloth-like pace in the coming years, average Americans would benefit from the occasional dose of reality from their friendly HIM professional. Sure, a national network of coordinated, interoperable EHRs that improve patient care would be great. But let's make sure the public knows we've got a long road ahead before we can dare that dream.