The Day the EHR Died

I was sitting at the computer, reviewing a note in the EHR, when suddenly the software froze. I was just about to begin a full day in clinic.

I felt immediate frustration and anger. Each day in my job as a primary care physician is a race that I cannot finish to complete as much as I can from a long list of electronic messages, results, prescriptions, paperwork, telephone calls, and e-mails. For each minute I am unproductive at work, I know I will be working 2 minutes later that night after my family has all gone to sleep.

Once ...