In social media circles new bloggers often ask me what they should blog about. My number one answer is “pick your passion”. If you write about something that truly interests you, something that makes your ears perk up when you hear random mumblings on the topic while in line for morning coffee, then you will never run out of news to share, conversations to enter, and communities to engage in.
For me, that topic is engaging patients through technology. That’s why in this age of meaningful use I have surrendered myself with full abandon into conversations that tie patients to their data. Monumental change is underway in terms of electronic medical records, health information exchange, social media portal collaboration, and shifts in care models that place patients in a partnership with their providers to increase the quality of their care.
But let’s be real. While we hear news stories of our larger providers demonstrating meaningful use, the bulk of the healthcare industry is comprised of small physician offices that are still struggling to define a business case for getting rid of paper records. While many are concentrating on getting these large providers connected, the truth is that without making small provider offices electronic and connecting that data to the whole, many of our HIE and interoperability efforts will suffer or fail.
Going electronic isn’t easy. That’s why when I learned that one of my colleagues volunteered his time to host a no-nonsense webinar by EHROutlook offered to physician practices that demystifies electronic data capture and information sharing, I was giddy with excitement. Truth be told, if things go badly when physician offices go electronic, then this means serious operational issues for the office and even more serious issues for connecting patients to their data. However, moving away from paper records can be an easy transition if you know what to look out for.
Please join Martin Sizemore for “Planning for your EHR: Answering the Tough Questions,” a free, live Webinar taking place on Tuesday, August 16th from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET.
