IS YOUR DOCTOR ON BOARD WITH BEING ON-LINE?
Check if your doctor is up to date with online technology
BY:ERIC FEIL
Can't get after-hours care? Wondering if your doctor has the most up-to-date drug information? You're not alone-and neither are millions of other Americans. A recent Harvard School of Public Health study finds that the U.S. lags behind many other countries in a number of key healthcare categories. Among the shortcomings:
-Only 40% of doctors have after-hours care agreements
-Fewer than 25% of physicians receive computerized alerts of potential drug interactions or dosage problems
-Compared to doctors in countries like Great Britain and Germany, U.S. doctors had less access to health-information technology or electronic medical records and systems to alert them when patients needed tests or follow-up care
The good news is that across the country, healthcare providers are moving toward using technology to address some of these issues. Many hospitals are beginning the conversion to electronic records that can be updated and accessed quickly by all doctors and nurses involved in a patient's care, so tests, follow-up care and drug information can be better tracked. Taking that a step further, the Bronx Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) in New York, for example, is coordinating all the healthcare institutions in the area, so medical records of 1.4 million people can be shared among myriad care providers. It is a model other regions may consider following.
"People tend to visit more than one doctor, hospital or emergency room for their medical care, and there has been no way to know from one place to another what diagnostic tests have been performed or what drugs were prescribed for the same patient in any of these venues," said Steven M. Safyer, MD, chairman, board of directors, Bronx RHIO and senior vice president/chief medical officer, Montefiore Medical Center.
"By sharing electronic medical records," he adds, "any healthcare provider will have the advantage of a patient's entire medical history, instantly, right at their fingertips, wherever they are."