A 2017 report from HealthManagement.org projected that the healthcare and social assistance sectors of the U.S. economy would add 5 million jobs between 2012 and 2022. But as positive as that trend sounded — and healthcare has indeed added millions of jobs in recent years — the report’s real purpose was to emphasize the need for ongoing education for healthcare professionals.
Back in 2000, Donald M. Berwick, then CEO at the Boston-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement, coauthored an editorial article lamenting the persistence of paper medical records and handwritten prescriptions.
A healthcare provider located in the often-sweltering heat of the Arizona desert is typically not going to be treating cases of frostbite. Medical practices across the country each deal with challenges specific to their region, and when they have targeted questions about their EHR software, they might wonder who’s there to help?
How many times have you bought a fancy new gadget, set it up, and then sort of learned how to use it? Probably quite a few. But if you’re a medical practitioner and the “gadget” is your Electronic Health Record, “sort of” learning the system simply isn’t good enough.
You know that feeling you get when you replace your microwave oven, buy a bigger TV, or finally decide to get a new car? What you had was very good, and you were comfortable with it. But after a few days or weeks of the new model, you can’t believe what you were missing!