Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Rethinking electronic records of sick cars and sick people

Julia Bellantoni
Tech
March 12, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

A few weeks ago, I found myself in the midst of car trouble. A low tire pressure light illuminated my dashboard, and despite my best effort to replenish the air, I had to concede that my front tire was punctured and that I needed to make an emergency visit to an auto shop. As it always seems to go with any car check-up, the mechanics discovered multiple co-morbidities; a nail was firmly lodged in the tire, my brake pads were thin and frail, and the battery was at its near end. I spent the next week in and out of three different branches of the same auto service center, seeking appointments wherever they were available. As I navigated the electronic system detailing the status of my car, I was utterly shocked by the parallels to the U.S. health system and its disparate EHRs.

Though the three auto service locations were part of the same national chain, they each had an electronic record that did not “talk” to its counterparts. My car’s record was inaccessible to each new location I visited, and thus I was forced to stumble through the car’s jargon-filled history guided by a confusing printout I received after the previous inspection. My inability to provide a full and detailed account of previous auto visits resulted in repeated tests and consequently longer, more expensive appointments. Frustrated and perplexed by the incongruity of the situation, I laughed recognizing my similar experiences working in the health care industry.

The lack of interoperability of electronic health records interferes with patient care daily, as labs are repeated, med lists are tweaked without reconciliation, and both patients and providers are left without full understanding of the medical history. Inefficiencies, expenditures, and unnecessary utilization abound in medical practice, and all too often these problems are mitigated by proper communication, data sharing, and record keeping.

Though my car was eventually restored to its baseline health, I left my week of car trouble puzzled by the record keeping model of the automotive service industry. Frustrated by the similar lack of communication and compatibility within electronic health records, I thought perhaps we could stand to rethink how we record our care for sick cars and sick people.

Julia Bellantoni is an incoming medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The secret horrors of sleep-deprived doctors

March 12, 2017 Kevin 117
…
Next

What was the hypothesis with pay-for-performance?

March 13, 2017 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Health IT

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The secret horrors of sleep-deprived doctors
Next Post >
What was the hypothesis with pay-for-performance?

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Rethinking consent in the age of Facebook and Cambridge Analytica

    Peter F. Nichol, MD, PhD
  • Advocating for people with disabilities: People First Language

    Leonard Wang
  • Advocating for a sick parent by confronting physician bias

    Erin Paterson
  • Our health system is a sick system

    Heather Finlay-Morreale, MD
  • Our foundation as a nation and the care for the sick, poor, and injured are inextricably linked

    Cesar Padilla, MD
  • Why do people hate Obamacare?

    Julie Rovner

More in Tech

  • How I stopped typing notes and started seeing my patients again

    William S. Micka, MD
  • How AI is reshaping preventive medicine

    Jalene Jacob, MD, MBA
  • Why clinicians must lead health care tech innovation

    Kimberly Smith, RN
  • Why medical notes have become billing scripts instead of patient stories

    Sriman Swarup, MD, MBA
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    AI in health care is moving too fast for the human heart

    Tiffiny Black, DM, MPA, MBA
  • Why AI in health care needs the same scrutiny as chemotherapy

    Rafael Rolon Rivera, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • How new loan caps could destroy diversity in medical education

      Caleb Andrus-Gazyeva | Policy
    • IMGs are the future of U.S. primary care

      Adam Brandon Bondoc, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors struggle with family caregiving and how to find grace [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Locum tenens: Reclaiming purpose, autonomy, and financial freedom in medicine

      Trevor Cabrera, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How a doctor defied a hurricane to save a life

      Dharam Persaud-Sharma, MD, PhD | Physician
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
  • Recent Posts

    • Affordable postpartum hemorrhage solutions every OB/GYN can use worldwide [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When cancer costs too much: Why financial toxicity deserves a place in clinical conversations

      Yousuf Zafar, MD | Physician
    • Psychiatrist tests ketogenic diet for mental health benefits

      Zane Kaleem, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden rewards of a primary care career

      Jerina Gani, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Why physicians should not be their own financial planner

      Michelle Neiswender, CFP | Finance
    • Why doctors regret specialty choices in their 30s

      Jeremiah J. Whittington, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 4 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • How new loan caps could destroy diversity in medical education

      Caleb Andrus-Gazyeva | Policy
    • IMGs are the future of U.S. primary care

      Adam Brandon Bondoc, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors struggle with family caregiving and how to find grace [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Locum tenens: Reclaiming purpose, autonomy, and financial freedom in medicine

      Trevor Cabrera, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How a doctor defied a hurricane to save a life

      Dharam Persaud-Sharma, MD, PhD | Physician
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
  • Recent Posts

    • Affordable postpartum hemorrhage solutions every OB/GYN can use worldwide [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When cancer costs too much: Why financial toxicity deserves a place in clinical conversations

      Yousuf Zafar, MD | Physician
    • Psychiatrist tests ketogenic diet for mental health benefits

      Zane Kaleem, MD | Conditions
    • The hidden rewards of a primary care career

      Jerina Gani, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Why physicians should not be their own financial planner

      Michelle Neiswender, CFP | Finance
    • Why doctors regret specialty choices in their 30s

      Jeremiah J. Whittington, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Rethinking electronic records of sick cars and sick people
4 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...