Barriers slow switch to electronic medical records

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Electronic medical records could rein in the clutter, make charts more legible and better track care, she said, but the Bardstown Road practice isn't quite ready to take that step into the digital age. Why? E-records systems are too expensive. Medicare and Medicaid patients, and penalizes physicians and hospitals accepting Medicare if they don't become “meaningful users” of electronic health systems, by meeting a list of requirements, in four years. “In a complex world of practicing medicine…the computer can really assist. And it can speed things along,” said Dr. Mark Pfeifer, chief medical officer at University Hospital, which uses many digital information programs, although it's not yet paperless. “We're gonna be safer when we do paperless charts…It's gonna be better care and it's gonna be more effective care.”


Barriers slow switch to electronic medical records