Criticizing Electronic Medical Records?

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Brent A. Metfessel; MD, MS

By Staff Writers

www.HealthcareFinancials.comHOFMS

Despite ARRA and the HITECH initiatives, eMRs are not without drawbacks. And, with apologies to USCTO Aneesh Chopra, we list the following.   

List of Drawbacks

The following are some of the more notable negatives:

  • Operator dependence — The term “garbage in, garbage out” applies to eMRs as well. The computer only works as well as the data it receives. If one is resistant to computing and works begrudgingly, is not well-trained, or is rushed for time, the potential exists for significantly incomplete or error-prone documentation.
  • Variable flexibility for unique needs — When one sees a single hospital, one sees just that — a single hospital, with unique needs unlike any other facility. A “one size fits all” approach misses the target. Even within a hospital, needs may change rapidly over time given the continued onslaught of external initiatives and measurement demands. Systems vary in flexibility and the ease with which they can customize options. More flexible systems exist but cost much more.
  • Data entry errors — Although data items normally only have to be entered once, data entry errors may still occur and be propagated throughout the system. Most notably, patient data can more easily be entered into the wrong chart when there is an error in chart selection. In general, simple double-checking and “sanity checks” in the system usually catch these errors, but if the error goes through the system the impact can be significant.
  • Lack of system integration — Interconnectivity of systems becomes more important with eMRs than with any other system. Personnel use the data in many different areas. If there are isolated departmental systems without connectivity, redundant data entry occur leading to confusion in the different departments. Appropriate and intelligent clinical decision support systems can make the job of the physician easier through education, real-time feedback, and through the presentation of choices that allow for clinical judgment.
  • Costs of implementation — Intelligently applied eMR implementations may also be cost saving; long term. For example, one large east coast hospital found that eMRs saved $9,000 to $19,000 annually per physician FTE. This savings was achieved through a decrease in costs for record retrieval, transcription, non-formulary drug ordering, and improvements in billing accuracy. And, in radiology, storage of digital pictures and the use of a picture archival and communication system significantly [PACS] decreased the turnaround time for radiology image interpretation — from 72 hours to only 1 hour. However, there is significant front-loading of costs prior to achieving such costs savings. 

Link: WSJ_Letter_3M_Company_2009-10-16

Assessment

At the American Health Information Management Association [AHIMA] October 2006 conference,  panelists suggested that developing, purchasing, and implementing an EMR would cost over $32,000 per physician, with an outlay of $1,200 per physician per month for maintenance.  This is larger in economic scope, today. Also, there exists no national standard that would require compatibility between the numerous competing eMR vendor systems that may need to communicate with each other, which can escalate costs and frustration in systems that attempt to integrate the features of multiple vendors.

Some recent HIT fiascos:

 Link: http://psnet.ahrq.gov/resource.aspx?resourceID=3090

 Link: http://psnet.ahrq.gov/resource.aspx?resourceID=1905

 Link: http://psnet.ahrq.gov/resource.aspx?resourceID=5286

 Link: http://psnet.ahrq.gov/resource.aspx?resourceID=3891

 http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/10/12/newscolumn3.html#

Conclusion

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