Chumming: Electronic Dental Records - An unappreciated success in Healthcare IT While some of the most popular dental experts in the nation claim tremendous savings from electronic dental records, physicians just cannot seem to get the hang of EHR adoption. What’s more, leaders have never once mentioned that dentists complain about EDRs like physicians complain about their paperless records. David Blumenthal M.D., the former national coordinator for health information technology, recently said … from the provider’s perspective, there are substantial costs in setting up and using the [EHR] systems. Until now, providers haven’t recovered those costs, either in payment or in increased satisfaction, or in any other way.” (See: “Why Doctors Still Use Pen and Paper -The healthcare reformer David Blumenthal explains why the medical system can’t move into the digital age,” by James Fallows, for The Atlantic, March 19, 2014). theatlantic/magazine/archive/2014/04/the-paper-cure/358639/ On the other hand, here is what dentistry’s leaders have to say: Dental technology consultant Dr. Larry Emmott says electronic dental records can save “tens of thousands of dollars,” March 18, 2014. emmottontechnology/general/thinking-about-going-%E2%80%9Cpaperless%E2%80%9D/ Dr. Paul Child, CEO of Dr. Gordon Christensen’s Clinician’s Report says EDRs offer dentists a “high return on investment,” (undated). dentaleconomics/articles/print/volume-101/issue-10/features/digital-dentistry-is-this-the-future-of-dentistry.html The American Dental Association claims, “EHRs provide long-term savings, convenience,” December 6, 2013. ada.org/news/9435.aspx In my opinion, dentistry’s leaders who envisioned the need to promote paperless practices and NPI numbers deserve to be publicly recognized for their unprecedented success in healthcare IT. Nowhere else has the digital transition seemed so effortless and cheap. D. Kellus Pruitt DDS
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:54:14 +0000
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