Paul:
Sadly, if Dr. Bertman follows the typical business model, his program will get overloaded with features and regulations until it is no longer simple and affordable, and a new barebones EMR will rise to take AC's place.
I don't know Dr. Bertman, his goals or life's ambitions, except what I read in the PR pieces. Here's a quote:
"Most of the programs were far off from what I needed, which was a quick, easy way to get information from the encounter stored into a database. I wanted it fast, I wanted it efficient and I wanted it cheap. I actually found that working with other EMRs slowed down my documentation." (Dr. Bertman)
Respectfully (I mean that), if I was Dr. Bertman, I would spend my time making good on that original solid business plan, with *simplicity* as the guiding principle.
To me that includes improving AC's *existing* functionality (prescription writing and billing/practice mgmt) and just making it more foolproof, eliminating glitches.
You know, paper charts do not evolve. Why do electronic charts have to? Let AC just keep getting better at what it does already, for crying out loud. Make it so simple a child can maintain it, so simple a child could *program* it!
Big corporations can not do "simple", by their very nature; they have to keep getting bigger and pricier. One man, with vigilance, can keep things simple, and I think there will always be a market for simplicity.
Now, if the government moves in and MAKES him glom up his program, that is another matter. That will be a grave injustice, to him and to us.
If it does happen, I will consider other means of record-keeping. This kind of needless mumbo-jumbo seems to be the very kind of thing that drove Dr. Bertman to create Amazing Charts in the first place.
Brian
