Viewpoint

Adieu to the ‘moo’

FROM THE CHIEF MEDICAL EDITOR

Larry E. Patterson, MD

Last month, I spoke on practice management at Bobby Osher’s ever-growing annual cataract surgery meeting in Naples, Fla. Invariably, the conversation turned to electronic health records (EHRs). While they have been a royal pain to implement, I said, my staff would never revert to paper. EHRs offer so many advantages, including legibility, coding features, IRIS registry and connectivity across multiple offices.

During the Q&A, an understandably frustrated doctor asked me what system I had, and we discovered we used the same one. He hated it. Admittedly, I didn’t love it either. I’d bought it a few years back on the recommendations of several people who seemed to love it.

What caused the difference? Washington.

Among other problems, the lovers were using a system that worked well pre-meaningful use. I bought mine post-MU.

The EHR rush

Instead of allowing free markets to work and letting us choose the right EHR for our practice, CMS rushed us into making choices out of fear we’d lose bonuses and later face huge penalties. Then, with meaningful use, described by doctors as meaningless use (or “moo”), we found ourselves wasting valuable time answering irrelevant questions and pushing buttons to make the bureaucrats happy — things that were in no way meaningful. And, the computer companies were so busy trying to keep their systems government-compliant that they couldn’t do what they needed to do: help doctors and improve patient care.

This may have changed with CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt’s startling announcement last month. He said, “The Meaningful Use program, as it has existed, will now be effectively over and replaced with something better.” While offering few details, he did say, “We have to get the hearts and minds of physicians back. I think we’ve lost them.”

Duh. You think?

Keep in mind; this is from the guy who just last October said MU Stage 3 would proceed as planned.

MU, a disaster from day one, was never meaningful: only 12% of all users could attest to Stage 2, despite the penalties. If what Mr. Slavitt says is true, it’s the most amazing, welcome reversal of this administration’s policies since 2009. Computers are indispensable to our private and business lives; especially concerning productivity and connectivity. Imagine if Washington allowed our EHR systems to do the same. As for what will follow, I don’t know; I’m just reveling in the now. OM