Home Forums Discussions General Discussion New User Support – ACUC and Beyond

This new user (2 mos or so) has found that the learning curve isn't too steep and this User Board as well as the various items on Wiki go a long way to filling in the blank spaces. By initially maintaining paper and EMR charts simultaneously the learning curve for me and the office staff hasn't ended at the edge of a cliff i.e. not "Tomorrow it's all electronic do or die". So, since AC is quite malleable we've gradually put together the pieces that I need for my specialty (allergy). Next week all new patients will be AC only.

I would appreciate any thoughts on one remaining anticipated logistics problem which is.....

The problem is walking into an exam room "cold". With paper charts I glance at the last visit, previous skin test results etc. and entering the room start a conversation with "How're you doing with grass pollen season?" or something clever like that. With EMR the chart is sitting on the desk, so to speak, and I would have to open up the patient's record on the screen before tailoring my greeting/approach to the patient's specific problem. Yeah, the personal touch. One could carry a handheld and bring up their record or scout it out on a main computer just before the encounter but this seems a bit time consuming.