Dangers In Electronic Medical Documentation!

The many pitfalls of electronic documentation!

Slip-shoddy documentation can lead to disastrous consequences. And more often than not it is hapless patients who pay the price for it. The shocking news of patients dying due to documentation errors, is hitting the headlines more frequently. Though it is easy to lay the blame squarely on EHRs identifying the flaws in the documentation process is even more important.

Patients blame physicians, medical practitioners blame poorly designed EHR systems, and EMR vendors blame the physicians’ reluctance to learn. The constant mudslinging is, instead of leading to better coordination across the care continuum, is hampering any chances of it.

Too, much of a good thing…

Extensive medical documentation can help providers survive audit scares. But overload of medical information is scaring the daylights out of physicians. Some notes can be as long as five pages and as notes are stored chronologically, it can take forever and a day to, locate pertinent information.