The Rev. Will Bloedow of Appleton, Wis., was at the Health Industry Forum in Boston touting the benefits of EMRs.
Bloedow is a patient of ThedaCare, a Northeastern Wisconsin healthcare system that is an early adopter of health IT. ThedaCare first implemented its EMR in 1996. His EMR awakening occurred when he experienced a heart problem in Minneapolis, far from home, at midnight over the weekend, no less. ThedaCare was able to send Bloedow's electronic patient record to the Minneapolis facility in 30 minutes. For this clergyman, peace of mind in knowing that the providers in Minneapolis had all the medical information on him to treat him quickly and safely was greater than any privacy and security issues that go with the territory.
While Bloedow's response to a question about privacy worries was a tad casual, his belief in EMRs was strengthened by the power of EMRs. The information was complete and sent by his hometown providers in a swift and efficient manner. Bloedow understood that the whole process saved time and money for the providers. In an environment in which the general public gets the fact that healthcare delivery is very expensive and the return is not aligned with the cost, this kind of enlightenment will help drive greater acceptance of EMRs and EHRs.
ThedaCare's CEO Emeritus John Toussaint was also on hand at the forum, which was held at Brandeis University last Thursday, August 5, and co-sponsored by the journal Health Affairs. He told attendees that the healthcare system intends to have its physicians and community physicians who use ThedaCare hospitals and clinics meet the meaningful use criteria by 2011.
Toussaint emphasized that EMRs are a tool to help lower costs and improve care. He also stressed that cultural change is required to embrace and fully utilize EMRs. Those two points are important as healthcare systems embark on their EMR implementations. In order to successfully transform the culture, healthcare systems must present a new reengineered workflow that makes sense to clinicians and makes the transition from paper to electronic as seamless as can be expected.
Bloedow and Toussaint made quite a pair. Toussaint brought wise advice to the forum. He is also an avid user of EMRs as a patient. Bloedow represents us, the general public. Oftentimes it truly takes a healthcare emergency such as the one Bloedow experienced to fully grasp the importance of EMRs and EHRs.
As we reach critical mass, no doubt we’ll have more stories like Bloedow's to share.
Photo by macieklew obtained via Creative Commons license.
