Interoperability is Complicated, Clinical Workflow Shouldn’t Be

In a recent Mother Jones article, Patrick Caldwell weighs in on why the national effort to implement electronic health records (EHRs) has been such an “Epic fail.” Despite federal investments of $28 billion since 2009, he argues, companies like Epic Systems have “helped create a fragmented system that leaves doctors unable to trade information across practices or hospitals.” Doctors are investing the time to input data, but their offices are still having to fax information. And for patients like Caldwell himself, the result is a medical system that may not have his information on file when he needs it most.It’s sad to think that after six years of working to digitize America’s health records the result is dissatisfied physicians and patients, and an EHR environment that can’t transfer files between practices. The problem of interoperability has especially frustrating. While 90 percent of hospitals have patient EHRs that are viewable online, less than ten percent say they’ve been able to trade medical records entirely through their digital systems. According to an August report, only 56 percent of hospitals had received electronic records from other practices in the past year. These information blocks are not only inefficient - office assistants are faxing documents and patients are repeating expensive medical tests - they also undermine quality care.Beyond the challenges of interoperability, physicians remain frustrated with their EHR experience. A 2014 study by the American Medical Association and AmericanEHR Partners found that 43 percent of doctors thought their software actually makes their jobs more difficult. Despite putting in time to learn and use the software, they had “yet to overcome the productivity challenges related to their EHR system.”While the challenges associated with interoperability require big changes in our health system - industry-wide collaborative efforts like the Argonaut Project, or the ONC exposing “information blocking” for EHR market dominance - solutions for clinics integrating EHRs are here now. Physicians shouldn’t face productivity challenges related to their EHR software.Mobius Clinic addresses productivity challenges by connecting Bluetooth monitoring devices straight to your EHR. Automating vitals collection means less time to input data and no human error - improved efficiency and care. Whether you work with Athenahealth, Allscripts, drchrono, Greenway or Epic, Mobius Clinic is easy to set up with your existing EMR. Add location awareness and efficient task management, and we’ve got a simple app that streamlines clinical workflow. Some problems are complicated, by working with your EHR shouldn’t be. Let Mobius fix that.