Medical history

[cowgirl836]

Hell, if they could start just by sharing between providers IN the hospital WHILE you are admitted for something, that'd be great. When my son was hospitalized a couple months ago, we had to re-give his history at least two dozen times and I'm not exaggerating. They sent out an experience survey afterward and one of the questions was actually something like "did not have to give medical history multiple times" and I lit them up on that one

 

[cowgirl836]

The bolded is the right answer. I worked for a major healthcare software technology company in Kansas City for a couple of years (you can guess who they are). In 2014, I went on an implementation for a week in Louisville to convert a healthcare system with several hospital locations from paper records to electronic records in 2014.... This was an implementation of the companies software that required several 100s of people a week for six weeks I think. So it was no small healthcare system.

For some reason, the healthcare industry has been a slow adopter of using computers. It wasn't until the HITECH act was signed in 2009 when the healthcare system was forced to move to electronic records and more interoperability with computers. The people running healthcare systems are very stubborn and unwilling to change their ways based on what I have seen and heard. When I was in Lousiville, there was a nurse on the floor I was assigned to that told me she never wanted to use a computer, will never have one at home, computers can go to hell, and that she was going to find a job at another facility that did not use computers. Which will work until that new facility she works at migrates to the use of electronic records.

Another thing regarding health records is that some of the major healthcare industries have been accused of holding patient data hostage. The competitor of the company I worked for was often accused of this, unwilling to share data on their system to others using another companies software. There was a debate in the industry of who owned the data, was it the patient, the healthcare clinic/hospital, of the software company in which the data sits at? As a result, it makes it really hard for a patient to get their medical records.

About 10 years ago, my husband's senior project for ISU was to try and digitize the intake board for one of the DSM area hospitals. Common sentiment among the admin they worked with is it was a great idea but the doctors were going to fight to get to stick with their board/paper charts rather than have to adopt a new system.

 

[wxman1]

Iowa has a sharing network, but it's relatively new. Think about it this way, it hasn't been that many years that records were required to be digital. That's something you can thank HIPAA for. We'll get there eventually, but we're not there yet.

This. It exists but I believe is partially depdendent on the hospital/health care provider participating in it. If it is a small area place that is somehow not affiliated with a broader network they may not have done this yet.

Only way I know this is we nearly took our daughter to the ER last night and my wife asked me which hospital we should take her to. I honestly didn't think we had an option as our GP is at Mercy.

 

[Mr Janny]

About 10 years ago, my husband's senior project for ISU was to try and digitize the intake board for one of the DSM area hospitals. Common sentiment among the admin they worked with is it was a great idea but the doctors were going to fight to get to stick with their board/paper charts rather than have to adopt a new system.

This. Some doctors are 100% on board with going digital. For the younger ones, it's all they've ever known, but there are lots of doctors (and nurses for that matter) who have no interest in it, and will actively fight it. There are less and less of them as the years go by, but they're still out there practicing.

In Iowa especially, the nursing profession demographic tends to skew older. You have a lot of nurses who cut their teeth in a pre digital world, so electronic medical record keeping has to be a learned skill, rather than one they grew up with.

 

[SpokaneCY]

The doctor doesn't need to know everything about his history. If you can't diagnose an acute problem without it then you just aren't very good at your job. Just looking for something to stick their noses in half the time.

Unconcious guy from car accident needs an MRI but nobody knows he has a pace maker?

 

[SpokaneCY]

Basically SS# = VIN

Can't tell the country of origin and date of manufacture...

 

[JMA1125]

Another issue is that the medical software has its limitations. It’s not the be all and end all, and it can be user-unfriendly. I used to work at a medical software company and can confirm that there is resistance from clinicians. Even tech-savvy clinicians acknowledged the problems. And the software providers don’t want to share with other providers.

 

[1100011CS]

The doctor doesn't need to know everything about his history. If you can't diagnose an acute problem without it then you just aren't very good at your job. Just looking for something to stick their noses in half the time.

I swear you just post this garbage to rile up people. Again, I like you better when you post about the Cyclones and beer.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

I would guess that there are very few hospitals in the state that are not associated with Mercy, the UI hospitals or at least something. I know all the hospitals down here are, no clue up in Northern Iowa, but I have to believe it would be the same thing.

Why is plugging information into a lap top any different than on a paper? I am 57 years old, educated before computers, as a teacher I kept a grade book for the first 10 years, then around 2000 the school I was at the second school in the state to go one on one for the kids and computers. The staff was allowed to not switch over to the JMC program for a couple of years, and then we were all told, next year, you must you the JMC or PowerSchool program. It was slow for me, but now after doing it for 15 years or so, I would never go back.
Nurses and doctors are educated people, most are not any older than I am, if you want to keep your job, you will learn the skill.

 

[Mr Janny]

I would guess that there are very few hospitals in the state that are not associated with Mercy, the UI hospitals or at least something. I know all the hospitals down here are, no clue up in Northern Iowa, but I have to believe it would be the same thing.

Why is plugging information into a lap top any different than on a paper? I am 57 years old, educated before computers, as a teacher I kept a grade book for the first 10 years, then around 2000 the school I was at the second school in the state to go one on one for the kids and computers. The staff was allowed to not switch over to the JMC program for a couple of years, and then we were all told, next year, you must you the JMC or PowerSchool program. It was slow for me, but now after doing it for 15 years or so, I would never go back.
Nurses and doctors are educated people, most are not any older than I am, if you want to keep your job, you will learn the skill.

Except there is a severe shortage of nurses in this state. And it's a challenge to recruit doctors to come to small town Iowa facilities. This is part of the reason why you're going to see a lot of smaller medical facilities shut down in this state, in the near future. Can't attract good employees, so the ones you have are either older, or not as talented. Can't attract new doctors, so you can't offer new specialties, so it puts pressure on the organization's bottom line. So they can't offer competitive wages. So they have even more trouble attracting staff. And so on and so on.

 

[3TrueFans]

The doctor doesn't need to know everything about his history. If you can't diagnose an acute problem without it then you just aren't very good at your job. Just looking for something to stick their noses in half the time.

Just so everyone knows, this is really dumb.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

Except there is a severe shortage of nurses in this state. And it's a challenge to recruit doctors to come to small town Iowa facilities. This is part of the reason why you're going to see a lot of smaller medical facilities shut down in this state, in the near future. Can't attract good employees, so the ones you have are either older, or not as talented. Can't attract new doctors, so you can't offer new specialties, so it puts pressure on the organization's bottom line. So they can't offer competitive wages. So they have even more trouble attracting staff. And so on and so on.

But that is one of the main reasons small hospitals are joining the Mercy and UIH networks, so they can bring those specialists to town once a week or so.
I get their is a nurses shortage, but its laughable to even suggest that the reason that a nurse would not start a new job or leave her old one is because they have gone to computers to record the data.

 

[Mr Janny]

Just so everyone knows, this is really dumb.

Yeah, I think even he knows it.

 

[3TrueFans]

Yeah, I think even he knows it.

Hard disagree there, bro.

 

[Mr Janny]

But that is one of the main reasons small hospitals are joining the Mercy and UIH networks, so they can bring those specialists to town once a week or so.
I get their is a nurses shortage, but its laughable to even suggest that the reason that a nurse would not start a new job or leave her old one is because they have gone to computers to record the data.

You find it laughable, but trust me, it is 100% happening. This is my bread and butter. I'm in healthcare IT. There are lots and lots of great nurses where I work, but there are plenty that are barely scraping by technologically.

 

[Mr Janny]

Hard disagree there, bro.

I think the Argent persona has long ago become an act that he can't drop because he's too invested in it. There are elements of the real Argent in there, but the Argent that we see is more of a puppet, and the actual person behind it, is just a goofy guy with his hand up a doll's ass.

 

[3TrueFans]

I think the Argent persona has long ago become an act that he can't drop because he's too invested in it. There are elements of the real Argent in there, but the Argent that we see is more of a puppet, and the actual person behind it, is just a goofy guy with his hand up a doll's ass.

There is an idea of an Argent; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real Argent: only an entity, something illusory. And though he can hide his cold gaze, and you can shake his hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense your lifestyles are probably comparable... he simply is not there.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

You find it laughable, but trust me, it is 100% happening. This is my bread and butter. I'm in healthcare IT. There are lots and lots of great nurses where I work, but there are plenty that are barely scraping by technologically.

Sure they are scraping by, but each week they get better at it. I may be wrong, but its not going away, and we go back to writing it down on paper.
So the system is already being used in most hospitals, why could that information not then be shared between hospitals when I visit a new one?

Here in town, we are associated with Mercy, if I have a stroke, why could they not transfer all my data in their computer system for instant access for anyone in the system, as they ship me to Mercy in Des Moines?

 

[CycloneErik]

I think the Argent persona has long ago become an act that he can't drop because he's too invested in it. There are elements of the real Argent in there, but the Argent that we see is more of a puppet, and the actual person behind it, is just a goofy guy with his hand up a doll's ass.

Just hoping that's a hand, but no way am I going to check.

 

[3TrueFans]

@isufbcurt do we have Physician on the list?