First, a history lesson. Back in the mid 2000 oughts, the AAFP launched a wholly owned subsidiary called TransforMed. It was originally started to help practices implement the “new model of care” from the Future of Family Medicine Report. Soon after it was launched, the joint principles of the patient-centered medical...
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Larry Bauer, who is a leader in family medicine education in the northeast U.S., sent out a link to a piece written by teacher who complained about the over-emphasis on standardized tests in secondary education. He felt so bad about it, he quit teaching.  Here is the link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/04/06/teachers-resignation-letter-my-profession-no-longer-exists/ Larry asked...
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The evidence continues to build on how little electronic medical records (EMRs) contribute to healthcare. A Cochrane review of on-screen computer reminders found that physicians’ practices (process measures, medication ordering, vaccinations, and test ordering) improved by 4% and patients’ surrogate health measures (blood pressure or cholesterol levels) improved by 3%. Another...
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Many well-meaning patient advocates want patients to become more empowered in their own care, which could take many forms. The technology companies and EMR supporters of course want this to happen electronically. “Smart” cards could contain every detail of a person’s medical history and records. But do patients really want this?...
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We have a family friend who’s a 91-year-old feisty woman proud of her independence. She’s lived in the same house alone for five decades, many of them with only her canine companion. Her husband died decades ago and she never remarried. She has little medical history to speak of, but she...
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What are we getting for our national $100 billion investment in electronic medical records (EMRs), or $200 billion, or $300 billion – who knows what the final cost will be? In the primary care ambulatory world, not very much. It’s not that EMRs are useless, they just don’t help very much....
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Paul Grundy MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACPM is IBM’s Director of Healthcare, Technology and Strategic Initiatives for IBM’s Global Well Being Services and Health Benefits. He has led the development of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative www.pcpcc.net, which is leading the way to create a more efficient and responsive healthcare system. Before...
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When I first stared hearing about the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) concept, I perceived it to be a euphemism. For whatever reason, the concept of primary care or family medicine hasn’t resonated with politicians, corporate benefits managers, or the general public. To me “medical home” was just a warm fuzzy term...
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