“Healthcare Has Turned Into Consumerism”
If you missed Tuesday’s MU Live! you’re in luck – we’ve chosen this week’s broadcast as our “Producer’s Pick”.  You can download the podcast here.
During the show our host, Jim Tate, and guest, Dr. Joseph Kim, discussed some of the barriers as well as the opportunities for physicians adopting certified EHR technology. Dr. Kim is the President of MCM Education, President-Elect of the National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC) and an active member of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEHP) where he chairs the Technology Committee.  He had a lot of interesting points to make on the show’s topic.
First, the barriers. Dr. Kim named and discussed a number of barriers including:
- Clinical staff need to master new skills/technology
- Generational issues
- Geographical – patient demographics in Silicon Valley, for example, differ from those in rural areas
- Financial barriers as physicians facing reduced reimbursements along with delay in reimbursements
And the opportunities?
- Financial support of adoption through HITECH Act incentives
- Efficiency improvement, and especially when tied to health information exchange
- Clinical analytics provide accumulation of objective data, over time identifying and improving care in patient populations – the real value of EHR systems
Now to this point of Healthcare and consumerism. Â Dr. Kim’s point is this: “There is a lot of talk about the patient being the consumer and wanting the privlidges associated with that – going online to schedule an appointment or refilling a prescription. We live in a day and age where with a mobile phone or app, people can order their fast food for pick up before they get to the restaurant. So consumerism attitude is becoming heightened exponentially and I think some of these expectations now exist in healthcare on the delivery end. Practice management logistics need to be more in line with consumerism attitudes.”