Physicians: Health IT Success Depends On You

Dear Physicians,

When it comes to health IT, you get a bad rap. I myself have cited your habitual workflows, unwillingness to change, and stubbornness as major reasons why the healthcare industry has been painfully slow to adopt EHRs and other technology systems that other service industries now consider commonplace (e.g. e-billing, e-scheduling, videoconferencing, social media, etc.). So, I want to take this opportunity to say “I’m sorry.” It’s completely unfair to place the blame on you.

Although I stand by the fact some of you (I won’t mention names) are stubborn and unwilling to change, I’m beginning to realize that the health IT industry is failing you. We have not prepared you or consulted you enough in the IT overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system. The federal government has done a decent job of motivating you to adopt these tools, but has the health IT industry done what is necessary to ensure you are prepared to use these technologies? Or, moreover, to ensure these technologies are designed to address your pain points or streamline your workflows? I’d say it has not. At the very least, it needs to do much, much better.

This is unfortunate because nobody is more affected by health IT changes than you. You are the ones who must use these tools on a day-to-day basis. You are the ones whose jobs and workflows are impacted as a result. And, in the case of physicians practices, you are the ones burdened with the expense of implementing these systems — an expense that can be crippling in some cases, no matter how much a government incentive attempts to offset it.

Believe me, I understand your bitterness toward health IT, but I’ve also seen how it can transform your practice for the better. I’ve seen how it can positively impact the quality of care you deliver. I’ve seen how it can give you more time to spend with your patients and your families. I’ve seen how it can make you more money. Moreover, I’ve seen how influential you are in ensuring that health IT initiatives are successful. You have the power to ensure that these technologies help, rather than hinder, your practice. You have the power to use these technologies to get your patients engaged in managing their own wellness. You have the power to make health IT deliver on its promise. This month Health IT Outcomes will be featuring several stories that highlight how physician practices throughout the country are leveraging health IT and realizing its inherent value. The first such article, The Reality Of EHR Use In The Physicians Practice, is featured in this week’s e-newsletter. I hope this targeted editorial content from your peers provides you with actionable information that can help drive your own technology initiatives.

Sincerely yours,

Ken Congdon, Editor In Chief, Health IT Outcomes