Top of the Charts
Scenes from Humboldt County’s leadership in the move to electronic medical records
(Jan. 7, 2010) Fortuna’s Russell Gorden is no stranger to hospitals or specialists. Since being diagnosed three years ago with cancer of the eye, Gorden has undergone 22 surgeries — the first of which removed his eye, ostensibly to solve the problem — and seen at least that many specialists.
“When all of this started, there was a lot of talk about electronic medical records, but to me, it’s relatively new and you still have to have a paper trail,” Gorden said. He was taking a break from the cabinetry work for his wife’s new martial arts studio above Body Works.
“The medical facilities, even the large ones I’ve been to, don’t have the ability to pull everything onto their systems,” he said. “I take some records with me all the time.”
“He’s been doing it for years, crisscrossing the country for care, with about 50 MRIs and 70 CT scans,” said Dr. Mark Phelps. Phelps is Gorden’s primary care doctor in Garberville; Dr. Takami Sato is his main specialist in Philadelphia.
“His files are about a foot thick,” Phelps said. “All the scans, all the medications he’s had — he’s been on some odd combinations of stuff, some of which is counterintuitive. Talk about someone for whom electronic medical records would be a blessing — it changes all of that.”
It would change things for Phelps, too. Now, he collects and files all of Gorden’s data, some of which Phelps may not be aware exists. He weeds through, takes apart and copies key parts of “cumbersome” paper charts to barrage a new specialist with the supporting data needed for referral. All the time, Phelps worries he missed something in the file that could make the difference.
“It’s uncompensated work that’s very people-heavy,” Phelps said. “Clicking is so much easier.”
It’s the quietest revolution you’ve never heard of, but the move to electronic medical records — a federally mandated adjustment in the nation’s health care system — is well underway in Humboldt County. From Eureka Internal Medicine to St. Joseph Hospital, from United Indian Health Services to the Open Door Community Health Centers, from Garberville to Blue Lake, Humboldt County is emerging as a national leader in the use of information technology to revolutionize care in rural settings.
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Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
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Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
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Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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THREE Comments
Comment / By First impression / Jan. 8, 9:44 p.m.
Well- my first experience with computerized records did not go so well. The doctor told me to do something I knew was wrong based on an entry on their records. I tried to explain how unlikely that test result was but he just waived his hand at the screen and said “see” and to his mind it resolved the issue. He believed the computer screen rather than me. It was later more or less resolved but it was very scarey that a typo could result in something very bad without the ability to resolve it by checking manual records. Lucky for me I had my own copies.
Comment / By john / Jan. 9, 8:40 p.m.
Yes, people entering data can make mistakes and this happens in the paper world just as frequently. The computer can also miscalculate. However, it is an illusion to believe paper charts were/are bullet-proof. The patient owns his/her own record and must take greater ownership of their care. Be informed and involved and always ask questions concerning your care - especially when it just doesn’t feel right. Tee strength of the computer is in managing masses of data that otherwise slips by. For a give provider there may be thousands of preventative care activities that are overlooked on every visit with every patient. The computer exposes these and they are more likely to be addressed.
Comment / By but / Jan. 11, 9:39 p.m.
The first problem is the destruction of paper records- how can you double check if the original report is gone?
The second problem is that the physician felt vindicated by the erroneous lab report. If the paper had been there, he might have seen the error and corrected himself. Once the error in in “writing”, there is no further reason for the doctor to doubt. He has “proof.” So you are one your own and frankly, most doctors do not seem to believe that their patients might actually know about their own conditions.
I think that computer records are fine for an auxilary assistance but all hard data should be scanned from the original and be part of the screens in the doctor’s path.
And just try to get doctors to listen to you if you have the gall to raise a question. It’s in their nature to be sure- after all a waffling doctor will not inspire confidence. A good-bad thing for sure.