Why Aren't Doctors More Tech-Savvy?
One problem with American healthcare is that it attempts to staple a simple documentation system favored by doctors, who prefer to focus on patient care, onto an increasingly convoluted payment system favored by insurers. Nothing compares with the agony of losing the paper itemized receipt from an out-of-network doctor that you were planning to file for reimbursement using your insurance website. (Also, be sure you have a scanner at hand! Remember scanners? You bought yours in 1998.)
Usually this vintage record-keeping method is just an inconvenience, but sometimes it can cause some major health and financial trouble. Some people have jobs that discourage using the phone to make personal appointments during the day, so it can be hard to schedule or reschedule in time. And having health records scattered throughout multiple doctors’ offices can lead to dangerous drug interactions, especially if you can’t check in with those doctors electronically.
Some medical offices, of course, are blazing boldly ahead with 20th-century technology. One such enterprise is One Medical group, a primary-care startup that launched in San Francisco in 2005 and has since expanded to 27 locations, each with three to six providers. For a paper-hater like me, it’s a dream: You can email with your doctor or nurse, get medical records released by filling out a short online form, and schedule appointments or renew prescriptions with an iPhone app.
Read the full story on The Atlantic website: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/why-arent-doctors-more-tech-savvy/283178/
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