Are paper charts better? Read this letter from a doctor to AAPS:
Why Paper Charts Are Better than EHRs. Though the U.S. government and insurers are determined to make us use electronic health records, paper is better in many ways: You will never recover the costs of the EHR, or even break even. EHRs can make you less efficient, and disturb all established staff work flows. EHRs make the physician the IT help desk for the whole staff. They detract from giving the patient your full attention. They make you dependent on IT vendors, customer support, and expensive hourly consultants. They have not been shown to improve medical care. EHRs benefit government and insurers, not patients. Paper charts are well-established, reliable, and have minimal learning curves.
Craig Wax, D.O., Mullica Hill, NJ
What do you think?
