People always talk about paperwork and there was a time that paperwork sucked but seemed part of the job. Now it is just overwhelming. Personally, I don't give a f...k about HIPAA and I just try to do what little I can to keep my data safe.
I love patient portals so that patient can call me and ask me why the creatinine is 0.25 in a one-year-old. I just tell them it would be helpful that knowing their child better than I can they come up with a differential based on the labs. You can see them before me, you can call me and waste my time (yes I would call them in good time when it is convenient to read them and ask my staff to call), so go ahead an interpret them.
The only thing I don't understand is when some will say "see another patient." We just don't have that luxury. We rarely turn them away and more rarely not have a space to see another patient, so I can't make an another patient to see. Trust me, I wish I could so I don't have to be forced to have my MAs apply varnish to the teeth at every well child on every kid. We aren't dentists. And, they don't pay dentists enough to see these kids. But, of the 25 things we are supposed to strive for, the varnish is a must and if you don't do it, you lose $3500 a month.
Was at the bar last night and struck up a conversation with a nice woman. What do I do? I push paper all day. No, I told her. What do you do? I am a customer service manager for Athena Health. That made it an interesting conversation.
