Point-and-click-EHR carpal tunnel syndrome is alive and well. This is a real and growing disabling condition striking thousands of physicians all across this country. In my last decade of hospitalist medicine, I have seen a rapid expansion of the point-and-click office EHR notes that read like broken English. These EHR clinical notes are structured and populated in ways that offer limited insight into actual patient care but excel in the medical billing and coding aspect of evaluation and management documentation. Often, these notes say nothing of clinical relevance but meet all the criteria of a high level preoperative H&P. These point-and-click notes maximize revenue at the expense of patient communication.
Compare any EMR from any vendor and you'll find most of them will meet all the government approved specifications to get federal money but few are marketed sas great tools for doctors to communicate their findings to other physicians. Most of these point-and-click EHR distractions actually hinder the ability of doctors to communicate pertinent findings with other physicians because the pages of worthless information they produce, for even minimally complicated visits, makes finding relevant information nearly impossible.
Enter the point-and-click EMR carparl tunnel syndrome. The American Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Society (ACTSS) has recently reported on a remarkable increase in physicians seeking surgical options for CTS. They discovered that point-and-click EMR systems were to blame for the rapid rise in physician disability claims. I concur. Just the other day, I found this outpatient preoperative history and physical for a physician going under the knife.
CC: Pre-operative evaluation for CTSR
HPI: Patient complains of right hand numbness. This is the right hand. This is a follow-up visit for hand numbness for hand problems for hand weakness. He describes the intensity of weakness as moderate. Associated symptoms include numbness and weakness and patient has failed conservative therapy and has considerable disability due to the hand.
Just one real life example of how your doctors are communicating with your surgeons. This is not the future of health care in America. This is the current reality. Someday, all your physicians are going to be disabled from their point-and-click EHR CTS. And when that day comes, I just have to wonder, who is going to click in the blanks?
