Roy,
Where have you been my friend. We miss you. I just had to tell you and the gang what I did today at our IPO Practice Manager's meeting. You would have been so proud of me. Our PO and the Hospital that we are affiliated with, Crouse, has been looking for and testing out an ASP Style EMR/PM program. At some point it is looking all too cozy and even I am a bit concerned that our PO may not always have the average small physician's interests at heart, although they probably do more than most others.
So Maud White the Director of the PO was talking again about this product vendor, "Waiting Room Solutions", as always "designed by a doctor"; seems to be the catch marketing phrase these days. But when so over used it looses it's meaning. See what you started Jon, now they all want to copy you...Take a bow. Who came first AC and Jon or Chartware and Dr David Tully-Smith? Anyway She wanted to know how many folks wanted to have a Dr and PM meeting and demo on the product. Now I had emailed her and cc'ed a number of other folks about this warrent-less wire-taps, and funny how many Americans are just simply willing to give up their civil liberties these days, and nobody got back to me on it. Not one out of about a dozen or more intelligent (I thought) people in this business. I was asking her to use the group memos she sends out to warn people about this, to speak up, and to pester any vendor that says they are CHITT certified whether or not the plan to design and install the portal. She didn't....
So when she brought up this product today I just stood up and addressed the entire meeting of about 50 practice managers, and told them about the committee's recommendations and how what they recommend will almost certainly be adopted, and that there were but 2 or 3 days left to comment on this before it goes to the next level. I also told the meeting that we were still awaiting an answer about this dangerous subject from our own vendor. And to whether or not they were going to design one and if so would they at least include an option in the admin section to allow those of us of good conscience to choose whether or not to turn the darn thing on or off. At least one small practice's PM is probably downloading a free copy of AC tonight on my say so. She is a retired doc herself, now her husband's PM. And you're welcome Jon. I appealed to everyone's sense of constitutional defense and patriotic duty to fight and resist this at any and all levels. And told them that the day this is mandated, is the day we take our system off the net and go back to a closed loop or print out all the charts and return to paper. Over my dead body.
And then Maud tried to sort of water this all down with the fact that this is being proposed based on the idea of reducing fraud. At that point I reminded the group that our own state (MSSNY) and county medical society wants us to fight and resist requests for records, and has educated those of us who attended (not nearly enough) how and when to not turn over requests for records when ever possible. It is the opinion of the NY Medical society and it's council that ever chart request is really a chart review and audit of some sort. It is a reason to get into your medical records and see what you are doing. And that anyone would be extremely nieve if they think that these carriers are not using these opportunities as such. I finished with telling them that it is our opinion (my fellow user friends here) that there will come a day when no doctor can claim that they haven't been audited, had money grabbed back by these greed SOB's and possibly even prosecuted for fraud. Can You imagine having the Gov't or these carriers reviewing each and every note you write? Can you imagine the idea of a security breach at any major carrier and the ID fraud and the loss of HIPAA compliance that can and will happen from just one simple breach?
Hey folks! Doesn't this big brother, Alberto G. type invassion stuff bother any of you out there???? Please speak up and get involved. This is your civil rights just flushing down the toilet here. Or are we all just sheep bound for slaughter???? BAAAAA, BAAAAAA. I remember a great jewish folk song, that sort of was about being a passive victim.
"On a wagon bound for market, there's calf with a mournful eye; high above him, there's a swallow, winging swiftly thru the sky... How the winds are laughing, they laugh with all their might, laugh and laugh the whole day thru and half the summer's night...."
Speaking of jewish wisdom, there is an old saying from the holocaust that sort of goes like this: "When they came for the Jews and the Gypsies I said nothing; when they came for the gays and othe subversives again I said nothing, by the time they came for me, it was too late...." Folks whether it's this present administration, CHITT or anyone else that wants to impose on and take away your rights of privacy and free speech you must always be aware and speak up. This is one of those times when those of good conscience must stand up, together and be counted or we are all in a lot of trouble.
Good Night and Good Luck,
Paul
