A Personal Experience with Electronic Health Records

As I lay on a gurney in the recovery area, I heard a nurse say “I have to call the doctor, I can’t read his handwriting.” It took me a few scary seconds to realize she was talking about the doctor of the patient in the bed next to me.
 
When my uncle’s primary care physician returned from vacation,
he said that my uncle’s health records had information that
would have provided the other doctor with information
that would have made the tests unnecessary.
 
I was recovering from my first cataract surgery at the Kaiser Permanente Hospital, located east of Los Angeles. I had the distinction of being a patient in a hospital that had recently implemented electronic health records while employed as a contractor training Kaiser health care professionals at other hospitals on how to use that electronic health record system.
 
During a four year period, I had three cataract surgeries at two locations, along with the accompanying exams, follow-ups, and visits to pharmacies for prescriptions. The EHR status of the various health care facilities I utilized ran the gamut from completely wired through my having to hand-carry a copy of my records so an ophthalmologist would get them in time for an exam.
 
As a patient, let me simply state that electronic health records work! I quickly became spoiled and would be frustrated when a facility wasn’t “wired” with access to my records. It annoyed me to have to undergo an examination because the facility or the doctor didn’t have my records or the results of exams done at other facilities within the Kaiser system. I didn’t like having to drop off a prescription at an un-wired pharmacy, especially when I wasn’t feeling well, and would have to return to pick-up the medication some time later.
 
Coincidentally, a month after my second cataract surgery, my uncle died. While at his funeral, I talked with his daughters about his health care. They told me that a few weeks before my uncle died, he had some health issues, but his primary care physician was on vacation. The medical facilities involved all used paper health records. The replacement doctor submitted my uncle to a series of painful, invasive tests that were inconclusive. When my uncle’s primary care physician returned from vacation, he said that my uncle’s health records had information that would have provided the other doctor with information that would have made the tests unnecessary. Unfortunately, the replacement doctor did not have access to all my uncle’s paper health records.
 
While writing this article, I mentioned my topic to a colleague. She said a recent scheduled medical procedure was postponed for two days because her paper health records couldn’t be found.
 
As a training consultant with more than three decades of experience, I have a pragmatic view of EHRs. They require the right software installed with the right training given to the right people at the right time.
 
Thomas Lenzo is a Pasadena, California based consultant with more than 35 years experience specializing in corporate training, technology, and security. He is active in ASTD-LA and LA-ISPI. Tom is a member of the FBI's InfraGard program and a volunteer identity theft investigator with the Pasadena Police Department. He has written for and spoken to local, national and international audiences. He can be reached at tlenzo@att.net .

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