How to Quell Physician Discontent with EMRs

How do you quell physician discontent with Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)?

Easy.

Have the leadership of your physician organization interview the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, then make sure your physicians read the spin.  This is one of my favorite excerpts:

Q: Many physicians are not seeing the expected financial return on investment after EHR implementation. Why is that?

A: How you implement the technology has a lot to do with the results you achieve. (ed: Now, note how he dodges the question) But the bigger issue is how the compensation system is designed. If physicians are operating in a fee-for-service environment, then many of the gains of EHRs -- for instance, in quality, safety and patient engagement -- aren't reflected in revenue. Physicians are doing more work and delivering better care and service, but the added value is not reflected in the reimbursement. (ed: Okay, that's what we said: we're seeing lower pay, not higher, despite doing more and more meaningless data entry work with EHRs.  We are often not finding return on our investment with the additional work.  Why are you now addressing nebulous issues with physician payment reform? Could you stick with the question, please?)

We've been an advocate for making sure that when value is added, it's reflected in increased physician reimbursement whether it's through the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) setting (ed: Alas: no. It is impossible for the Coordinator to stick to the question.  Now we're on to Value-Based Purchasing. WTF?  Doctors aren't PURCHASING value, dammit, we're providing CARE!), value-based purchasing or part of an accountable care structure. That's where the ability to manage information -- not just for individual patients but for populations (ed: Remember dear doctor, it's not about you and your patient, EHRs are about the population manipulation!  Huh?)-- becomes an absolute necessity, because in those models, it's not a question of whether there's a return on investment with electronic health records. (ed: Yes, dear Coordinator, in case you forgot, this WAS the original question)  A physician can't function in those models without an EHR. (ed: Really?  Since when?)

If you can stomach more, go on over and read the whole thing.  (And consider leaving them a comment about how you really feel about this spin).

There.  You're a believer in in all things EMR now, right?

Doctor?

Doctor?

-Wes