Contents tagged with technology
So easy a child can do it
By Troy Fiesinger, M.D.
TAFP President, 2012-2013When we walked into the dentist’s office, my kids ran straight up to the computer to check in for their appointments. This was my first time to take them to the dentist, as my wife usually drives them. My son and daughter quickly entered their names on the touch screen, grabbed books, and took their seats. Freed from manually registering patients, the front-desk clerk monitored patient flow and welcomed everyone to the clinic with freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies.
Later that day, I went to my doctor’s office where I signed my name on a clipboard and patiently waited in the lobby as patients have done for decades. His office has the same electronic medical record as mine, but his clipboard system has not changed in decades. My clinic has an electronic medical record with a web portal and secure patient e-mail, but our patients still queue at the front desk to give their information to a clerk. At the gas station, I swipe my credit card and fill my gas tank without talking to another human being. At the airport, I walk up to the kiosk, insert a credit card, and print the boarding pass for the flight I checked in to the night before. We expect businesses to adopt the latest customer service technology and embrace their use while we keep our clinics in the technological dark ages, suspiciously questioning each new innovation. We complain about the inefficiencies of our EMRs but are slow to adopt innovations to improve the efficiency and ease of our patients’ visits to our offices. Are we so focused on our frustrations that we forget our patients?
moreDefining the meaning of “meaningful use”
By I.L. Balkcom IV, M.D.
TAFP PresidentShhhh! Don’t tell anyone, but I am attempting to practice on my laptop so I might understand how to have a “meaningful” encounter with my patient. I have made progress in technology in that I even sent our chief operating officer, Kathy McCarthy, an e-mail this year—a proud moment in my technological infancy. Now I find myself immersed in a small screen with small print and myriad options for the EHR. As Peanuts would say, “ARRRGHH!” as I erase an entire page by accident.
Now for those of you who are fortunate enough to know all things computer or young enough to have grown up with iPhones, laptops, and MP3 players, I heartily congratulate you. Some of us less technologically gifted are still learning how to turn on these infernal machines and not to treat them like coke machines—beat and kick the “heck” out of them. I wish so often they would say something so I could keep up my tirade. Oh, I forgot. They do talk to you now.
moreDoctors, hospitals plan to adopt EHRs and apply for federal incentive payments
Doctors, hospitals plan to adopt EHRs and apply for federal incentive payments
posted 01.19.11
More than 80 percent of hospitals and more than 40 percent of office-based physicians nationwide … more
San Antonio educator appointed to national advisory committee
San Antonio educator appointed to national advisory committee
By AAFP News Staff
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has selected AAFP member Carlos Jaén, M.D., Ph.D., of San Antonio, to … more
EMR: Friend or foe?
EMR: Friend or foe?
By Bradley K. ReinerPractice Management Consultant, Reiner Consulting and Associates
Are you prepared for the onslaught? You may think you are already inundated with choices … more