EMR can be a powerful agent of change in the right hands: In April, I attended Dr. Peter B… bit.ly/17CXWnN via @gehealthcareit
— Keith W. Boone (@motorcycle_guy) May 31, 2013
I think the article took a little different take on the tweet than I did when I first read it, but I love the idea of using the EMR as a powerful change agent in your organization. Many executives say they wish they could change some things about their organizations. EMR can be one method to help implement some of those changes. Far too few are using it to really effect change for good in their organizations.
IMHO EHRs need workflow tech RT @workflowdx EMR is not workflow; it is a workflow tool. Those who recognize this will get the most out of it
— Charles Webster, MD(@EHRworkflow) June 2, 2013
This feels a bit like semantics for me and you know I avoid semantics. What I do know is that EMR can make an ugly workflow really ugly or a beautiful workflow really beautiful.
The road to hell is paved by volume/billing driven EMRs.Check out nyti.ms/ZfIYP5 @paulinechen #EMR #HealthIT #meded
— Dr. Dilettante (@Dr_Dilettante) June 3, 2013
This road already seems paved. The question I have is whether we’re willing to rip up the road and replace it. There’s some signs that it’s going to happen, but I’m still not confident in those signs.
John, regarding the difference between an EMR and workflow (“semantics”) — it’s like saying your route to work is the same as your car. What you drive and how you get there are distinctly different things. If your only route to work is fraught with stoplights, construction and delays, a Ferrari is a bad fit. The point here is that if you want to get to work more quickly, the Ferrari won’t make it happen. The route has to change. Then the Ferrari can be optimized. Otherwise, it is a waste. Helping people understand the distinction between the workflow (process) itself (“to treat a patient today, we need to obtain this information, move them to this room, etc.”) and the tools that are used to facilitate it, is a powerful and enlightening exercise that tends to open up a world of process improvement opportunities. They key is to fit the EMR to your process (one that has been improved to remove waste, inefficiency, etc.), not the other way around.