Given this interest in starting a new enterprise I was wondering whether
it is possible that this group could identify the 5 most important
things that they feel a “system” would have that would make them want to
use it.
Dear Geoff,
Three things that I believe would improve general practice would be:
1. An agreed way of structuring clinical and billing data that allows
GPs to use any clinical and billing packages they want with the same
dataset. That is, if I want to, I can use Genie for my first
consultation today, Profile for the next and Medical Director for the
third. They all read from and write to the same dataset. This would
allow GPs freedom to change easily from using one software package to
another as they wish.
2. All forms that outside agencies like Centrelink, driving licence
authorities, etc. want us to complete for patients are available either
online via the Web, and are populated automatically from the information
that we already have in in our clinical record (which we can edit in the
online form as required) OR are generated automatically from within our
software package (for example, like the South Australian Prescribed
Medical Certificate for Workcover claims) and able to be emailed
securely automatically. It is important that these agencies do NOT ask
repeatedly for information that is static and not going to change, for
example, the patient's date of birth, or the nature of their permanent
disability e.g. blind from birth.
3. A method of providing test results to patients automatically e.g. by
the patients being able to access their electronic medical record and
read our comments and advice about the results. Medicare needs to fund
our costs in providing this service - that is, payment for our time
spent writing our comments and advice.
A couple of comments about your draft:
The question:
"When did you start to use computers?" does not differentiate between
use for computers at home for non-medical uses, e.g. games, doing the
family tree, etc. or use in the practice. Further, you would know that
many practices used computer billing systems for years before they
started using electronic clinical records. I suggest that you break
this into several questions, something like:
1. When did you first use a computer for any purpose, at home or in your
practice?
2. When did your practice first use computers for any purpose, including
patient billing?
3. When did your practice start using computers to make any part of the
clinical record, including prescribing?
4. Do you write on paper in your practice?
I have found that this last question is the easiest way to determine
which practices are really using their clinical packages fully. Many
practices say "Oh yes, we are computerised", but when you ask, you find
that they use the computer only for prescribing or only for writing
referrals or only to generate health summaries.
I suggest refining and rewording the question:
"Which best describes your current occupation:
GP - Year of graduation (e.g. 1990) ____________
Specialist - Year of graduation (e.g. 1990) ____________
GP Practice Staff
Specialist Practice Staff"
along the lines of:
"Which best describes your current occupation:
GP - Year of graduation (e.g. 1990) ____________
Medical specialist - Year of graduation (e.g. 1990) ____________
Staff member in a general practice
Staff member in a medical specialist practice"
mainly to clarify that you are talking about medical specialists and not
any other kind of specialised health professional or indeed non-health
professional.
Lastly, I hope that you will provide an online version of the survey
rather than only a fill-in-by-hand-and-fax-back version.
--
Oliver Frank, general practitioner
255 North East Road, Hampstead Gardens, South Australia 5086
Phone 08 8261 1355 Fax 08 8266 5149 Mobile 0407 181 683
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