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Richard Alvarez, president and CEO of Canada Health Infoway, the agency created in 2001 to give Canada a national electronic health records system, estimates only 10 per cent to 15 per cent of Canada's doctors are online with EHR.
At the same time there is a trio of significant impediments the health care community must overcome, says Dr. Grisdale. The first is the cost to physicians. While the province offers subsidies, which amount to 70 per cent of the capital and operating costs of an electronic medical records system, the remainder must be borne by the doctors themselves. An EMR is essential to gaining access to any electronic health records system.
The second is the time and effort it takes to switch from paper-based office records to digital. And the final impediment is simply inertia.
This is an interesting article. The low adoption rate is a surprise to me considering the amount subsidized by the government.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090306.SRINNODOCTORS06/TPStory/National
- Rich G.
www.smartlinkemr.com
Just a little background to make this article more understandable.
The was a doctor from Alberta, Canada's oil rich Province that is swimming in money - until recently that is ! They don't collect Provincial Sales Tax on goods because the .gov has so much money. Healthcare in Canada, sadly, is entirely provincial. The Federal Government used to fund healthcare but as it got expensive, they decided to give less and less to the provinces as they probably wanted to avoid the financial liabilities that come with escalating health care costs. So, Alberta's approach to EMR is entirely different from British Columbia (whom only fund ASP EMRs) and Ontario (which only funds doctors working in Teams). In Nova Scotia, the whole province went with one ASP vendor. I don't think the other provinces are doing much at all. Certainly the only province in which any MD can get funding is Alberta.
70% sounds good eh ?
Guess how many EMRs you get to choose from ?
Three !
Their EMR certifing body (POSP) upped the requirement and the list went from a dozen to 3. The vendor said, "It's just not worth it for us!".
So if you were funded for any of the nine which didn't make the list, you have to switch to one of the 3 that did, if you want the funding.
And guess what ? The doc in the article uses MyNightingale - and to keep with the funding he is going to have to switch. Didn't seem to mention that in the article. The POSP is so embarrassed at their gaff they have temporarily extended the old requirements after the vendors ignored them.
EMRs aren't used because they aren't that useful. Every doctor uses a fax machine and a stethoscope.
My EMR is: Synapse It is what we know already that often prevents us from learning. Pioneers are the ones with the arrows in their backs.
Great thread- we should send it to the second coming of Michael Jackson and Jesus Christ Superstar, Mr. Obama who thinks that c-EHRs are what not only will save American health care but also get us out of this recession.
Al
Al Borges, M.D.