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An Open Letter to Dr. Margaret Scarlett

By D. Kellus Pruitt; DDS

For the last few weeks, I’ve been challenging a naive EDR advocate. They are becoming increasingly hard to find. Here is what I posted today on her blog.

Dear Dr. Margaret Scarlett

This open conversation on your Medscape Connect blog not only alerts the nation to the possibility of imminent failure of interoperability in post-computerized dentistry, but it also features dialogue introducing potential solutions around otherwise insurmountable problems the industry is encountering.

http://boards.medscape.com/forums?128@884.9VVBadZEUsj@.2a077212!comment=1

Courageous 

A forum such as yours that invites frank discussion about the faults of EDRs is almost unprecedented and entirely politically-incorrect. But then, that is why it is incredibly meaningful. Thank you for your courage, Dr. Scarlett.

Collegial

Let’s keep it collegial but challenging.

First of all, in your April 21st response, you justifiably expressed concern that EHR/fax hybrids might increase danger of data breaches over the incredible risk that already exists in digitalized healthcare. I assume that now that you know more about cloud-based companies such as Sfax, you agree that your security concern is unfounded. Fax, telephone and the US Mail will always be more secure than the internet – an often-forgotten fact. Any arguments?

A large part of your response concerned interoperability and aggregation problems that will be easily solved by the Health Information Exchanges (HIE) and EHR/fax companies. Why would their product not be seamless like any other digital transmission? From our perspective as dentists, your concern is a non-issue. Anything that can be printed on paper can come up on a computer screen and vice versa. Fortunately for our patients, you and I don’t have to worry ourselves about the technological magic of common office equipment.

I just have to say that when I read about your concern for “dependence on ink supplies, phone connections, or the availability of personnel to handle pieces of papers without any mistakes,” I noticed you didn’t say anything about saving the forests and paper cuts. Quite frankly, I think even you recognize that these lame arguments against a new idea are disingenuous stretches. Who’s to say there will be fewer keystroke errors on digital records than paper? See what I mean?

Lastly, in your April 21st response, you seem to suggest that unless the vast majority of dentists spend tens of thousands of dollars to purchase EDRs which will raise the cost of the care they provide, huge pools of data stored in HIEs that you claim somehow “assure patient-centered care,” will not be available to dentistry. You’ve got to be kidding. How many years away is that science? Let me repeat: Dental patients are fortunate that EDRs are going nowhere because of dentists’ solid business reasons in the land of the free. Until EDR advocates base sales claims on evidence rather than hearsay, they are only entertaining themselves with the fantasy.

Assessment 

I only wish the anonymous EHR experts in the ADA who are quietly influencing lawmakers would step out and introduce themselves to the community they serve. Can you think of any possible reason that the ADA can’t answer a few questions about what they have been doing on our behalf. Or should that not concern dentists?

Conclusion

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Filed under: Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: ADA, Darrell K. Pruitt, DDS, Dr. Margaret Scarlett, eDRs, EHRs, electronic dental records, EMRs, Health Information Exchanges, HIE, Medscape Connect, Sfax | 16 Comments »