We have converted to Electronic Medical Records!

We have phased out our paper charts and have moved to 100% electronic medical records (EMR). Please read the FAQ below for more information. If you have no time to read it all, just read the last section.

 

FAQ

Why switch to Electronic Medical Records?
Will this improve my medical care?
Is my medical information going to be secure?
Will the government have access to my medical file?
Will I be able to log into my electronic file?
Will my interaction with the doctor be any different? - MUST READ


Why switch to Electronic Medical Records?

Not that long ago, banks kept all their acount records on paper. It is difficult to imagine now how they could make everything add up by hand!. Medical charts are at least as complex as bank accounts and, somehow, paper charts are still used in doctors' offices throughout British Columbia.

But not so in other countries. All medical clinics in Europe have been using electronic charts for years. Australia and New Zealand are also ahead of Canada. Within Canada, Ontario and Alberta are leaders and more than 50% of their doctors use EMR. In British Columbia only 15% have made the switch sofar.

I decided not to be a laggard and make the change now. The benefits of EMR are so great that it would not be rational to wait any longer. The software system I have chosen is called IntraHealth and has been successfully used in New Zealand for a number of years.

Will this improve my medical care?

Yes, the same way that electronic records have improved the services that banks can provide. Lab results will be received faster. I will be able to find the information I need more easily. A system of alerts will prevent errors, omissions and duplications. You will have more confidence that I am not missing anything.

Is my medical information going to be secure?

The electronic security measures we are going to use are similar to those that banks and governments use. Generally, your chart is safer in the electronic format than it was before, in paper format. Remember that your paper charts were kept on shelves, not in a vault. Theoretically, a burglar could break in to our office and steal your paper chart (although this has never happened!). It will be much more difficult to steal your chart when it is encrypted, password protected and behind several layers of firewall.

Will the government have access to my medical file?

This is a common concern voiced by opponents of EMR. However, I believe that this concern is misplaced. First of all, we should realize that the B.C. government already has access to a lot of your confidential medical information. From the bills sent in by your doctor it knows who your doctor is, how often you see him and what your diagnoses are (the Medical Services Plan requires all this information before it will pay for anything). From the PharmaNet system it knows what drugs you are taking.

It is unlikely that the government will be able to extract more information from the EMR. The electronic data are the property of the doctor and the government has no independent access to it. The doctor cannot release any information to any party without your permission.

Will I be able to log into my electronic file?

Maybe in the future. Some systems are being developed that would allow patients to log in and gain read-only access to certain parts of their file such as lab results or specialist reports. This will certainly not happen in the next few years. Data security is the main obstacle, as you might imagine. However, you can now access your laboratory results online, by registering at myehealth.ca

Will my interaction with the doctor be any different? - MUST READ

Some things will change in your interaction with me. The most obvious thing is that I will be staring at the computer screen a lot. This is not a good thing and I would much rather look at you when you are talking to me. Looking at the computer screen instead of you may appear rude and, in fact, it is the number one complaint of patients about their doctors who are using EMR. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid this.

I hope that you will be forgiving and realize that, when I am focused on the computer, I am not playing Minesweeper and ignoring you but I am thinking about you the whole time!

The other thing that will change is that I will need to know the reason for your visit before I see you. This is so that I can prepare and be ready for what I have to do in advance (and not fumble with the computer for too long).

So, when you call Rosana to make an appointment, tell her why you are coming. Here are examples of what I would like to know:

If, for some reason, you are embarrassed to disclose your problem to my assistant on the phone, please say "Private". But, please, do not use this routinely, as it would make things more difficult for me.

My handling of multiple problems at the same visit will also have to change. You may have heard that some doctors limit their consultations to one problem per visit. I have never been that strict and I have frequently addressed several different problems in one visit. With EMR, this is no longer going to be possible without making me, you and the computer very confused.

I can still handle one main problem and one or two other minor concerns or requests per visit, as long as I know what they are at the beginning of the visit.

But, if you have two or more major problems that are equally important to you, don't hold them back. Tell me what they are at the beginning of the visit and let me decide how best to handle them. Quite possibly they are related, or they may need to be divided up into several visits.

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That's all. Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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