Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

How have EMRs changed the doctor-patient relationship?

Michael Kirsch, MD
Tech
August 5, 2019
61 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

I have penned several posts on the pitfalls of the electronic medical record (EMR) system that we physicians must use.  Indeed, I challenge you to find a doctor who extols the EMR platform without qualification.  Sure, there are tremendous advantages, and the ease of use has improved substantially since it first came onto the scene.  But, keep in mind that these systems were not devised and implemented because physicians demanded them.  To the contrary, they were designed to simplify and automate billing and coding.  While this made their tasks considerably easier, it was at physicians’ expense.  Features that helped billers and insurance companies didn’t help us take care of living and breathing human beings.   It made us focus on silly documentation requirements in order to be fairly reimbursed.  And, it offered very clumsy mechanisms to record a patient’s history — the story of your symptoms — which is our most valuable piece of medical data.  You simply can’t click your way through a patient’s narrative.

Admittedly, the process is much better now than it was a decade ago.  But, it cannot replicate the experience of pen & paper when physicians could use eye contact, facial expression, and nodding of the head during office visits.  Indeed, this is how I practiced for the majority of my career.

A recent job change has given me the pleasure of learning a brand new EMR system.   Learning a new system has been like a undergoing colonoscopy: uncomfortable but necessary.  I wonder how many hundreds of clicks I perform each week as I navigate through a system that seems to have no boundaries.  While some of my colleagues use voice to text technology, or have a scribe shadowing them, I rely upon my ten digits tapping across the keyboard to get the job done.  And, since I worked as a typist before becoming a gastroenterologist, I can look my patients in the eye while typing.  (Interesting that a typist and a gastroenterologist both need to be digitally skilled.  Perhaps, in my retirement I will study piano?)

I wonder how the EMR arena has been for patients.  Please share your experiences here especially if you are old (ancient) enough to be able to compare current click medicine to pen and paper documentation.  How has your office visits changed?  Do you think EMR has changed the doctor-patient relationship?  Share your frustrations.  Let me prompt you with frustration #1: Why don’t all the EMR systems communicate with each other?  Why is this promise still unfulfilled?

Using the ubiquitous rating system, how many stars would you award the EMR experience?

Michael Kirsch is a gastroenterologist who blogs at MD Whistleblower.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Physician burnout is as much a legal problem as it is a medical one

August 5, 2019 Kevin 3
…
Next

The importance of patient education before surgery

August 6, 2019 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Health IT

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Physician burnout is as much a legal problem as it is a medical one
Next Post >
The importance of patient education before surgery

More by Michael Kirsch, MD

  • Drawing the line on unnecessary medical tests

    Michael Kirsch, MD
  • We are suffering from an epidemic of anger

    Michael Kirsch, MD
  • Physicians sometimes need to deviate from established policies

    Michael Kirsch, MD

Related Posts

  • Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

    Leonard Wang
  • It’s the little things that can make or break the doctor-patient relationship

    David Penner
  • Studying to be a doctor, while living as a patient

    Claudia Martinez
  • The patient-physician relationship is in critical condition

    Ryan Enke, MD
  • Doctor-patient relationships would die without this one thing

    David Penner
  • Is the physician-patient relationship becoming a provider-client one?

    Rene Datta

More in Tech

  • The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for your health care needs

    Liudmila Schafer, MD
  • A new era of collaboration between AI and health care professionals

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • What I think it means to be a medical student in the wake of AI

    Jackson J. McCue
  • The rise of generative AI in health care: Here’s what you need to know

    Anil Saldanha
  • Can AI solve the physician shortage crisis?

    Harry Severance, MD
  • Bridging the digital divide: How to bring trust back into the patient-physician relationship

    Arti Masturzo, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking free from a toxic relationship with medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking free from a toxic relationship with medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

      Kevin Haselhorst, MD | Physician
    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
    • 10 commandments of ethical affiliate marketing for physicians

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO | Finance
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 6 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Journal Shows Its Commitment to Exploring AI in Medicine
  • Do Away With 'Lockout' Period in iPLEDGE, FDA Advisors Urge
  • Cluster Headache, Migraine Linked to Circadian System
  • Smaller Liver Transplant Candidates Wait Longer, Less Likely to Receive Organ
  • A 'Double Whammy' for Gastric Cancer Risk

Meeting Coverage

  • Oral Roflumilast Effective in the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis
  • Phase III Trials 'Hit a Home Run' in Advanced Endometrial Cancer
  • Cannabis Use Common in Post-Surgery Patients on Opioid Tapering
  • Less Abuse With Extended-Release Oxycodone, Poison Center Data Suggest
  • Novel Strategies Show Winning Potential in Ovarian Cancer
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

      Denise Reich | Conditions
    • The psychoanalytic hammer: lessons in listening and patient-centered care

      Greg Smith, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking free from a toxic relationship with medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • It’s time for C-suite to contract directly with physicians for part-time work

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Breaking free from a toxic relationship with medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Tom Brady’s legacy and the importance of personal integrity in end-of-life choices

      Kevin Haselhorst, MD | Physician
    • The hidden truths of hospital life: What doctors wish you knew

      Emily Stanford, DO | Physician
    • 10 commandments of ethical affiliate marketing for physicians

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO | Finance
    • The heart of a Desi doctor: Balancing emotions and resources in oncology

      Dr. Damane Zehra | Physician
    • Safe sex for seniors: Dispelling myths and embracing safe practices [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

How have EMRs changed the doctor-patient relationship?
6 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...