>>ill-though out plans <<

I am not sure I am on the same side of the page on this issue as some of
my esteemed colleagues.  I am strongly in favor of an EHR/EMR.  Granted,
I am concerned about privacy issues.  But I am also concerned about the
rapidly rising cost of treatment. Inability to access previous test and
treatment records leads to unnecessary testing and duplicated
procedures.

Personal experience has shown that it is very difficult for a person to
gather all the needed medical information.  Even when very competent
organizations are involved in the process it is incredibly difficult to
locate an entire medical record.

I also believe that a consolidated medical record would prevent major
difficulties for many patients, especially the elderly.  They often have
the perspective that the doctors must know what each other is doing
because they work together.  Often that perception is not the case.  The
consolidated record would at the very least contain information from the
various practices.

Another issue is the ability to access records.  While folks that live
in the big city may find it relatively easy to access primary care
records when they require emergency care, access in rural areas is much
more difficult.  Many patients in the Bismarck, ND hospitals are brought
here by ambulance or LifeFlight from a hundred or more miles away.  An
electronic record would greatly simplify ER and hospital access to
critical health information.

I do think it has to be done right, I also think it has to be done now.
We have a tendency to want to spend a whole lot of time working out the
details to make sure everything is perfect.  Sometimes there is time,
sometimes not.  Everyday we wait on this issue increases the overall
cost of medical care.

Bill R

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