mepal, I think EMR is probably a good idea. Ideally it can make treatment more efficient, especially when sharing records. Making the most of EMR will require compatible software systems, but the article noted that institutions prefer to customize the software for their own needs, so standardization will be an issue. However, EMR probably won’t save as much money as some of its backers hope.
Which part of my post is “taking it to an extreme”? Most of the doctors learning EMR aren’t learning it as part of their residency/ fellowship, they are already working as attendings & hospitalists & learning EMR while seeing their regular patient load. The same is true for the nurses & support staff who are learning it. The downsizing I mentioned above is happening in hospitals across the country even without EMR. EMR is inevitable & will probably ultimately improve patient care but it’s naive to imagine that the implementation won’t cost money or hurt patient care. The $10 million to fund it has to come from somewhere. And the article cites a Pediatrics study that attributes an increased rate of patient deaths to EMR transition.