Digitally transforming primary care

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Digital transformation is reshaping the health care industry, and primary care physicians are at the forefront of this revolution. By embracing digital solutions, physicians can enhance patient care, improve practice efficiency, and hopefully regain their patient time and income in the process.

Physicians can leverage technology to access comprehensive electronic health records (EHRs), enhance diagnostic accuracy with decision support systems, deliver personalized treatments based on patient data, and engage patients through patient portals and mobile health apps.

I would like physicians to redefine the word efficiency from optimizing cost to results to the elimination of non-value added activities. The elimination of non-value added (NVA) activities is a key principle of process improvement methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma. This approach aims to focus resources and efforts on activities that directly contribute to creating value for the customer. In its extreme approach NVA in your practice, this means that if you are not directly impacting the customer, you are NVA. What it means is that if you are not a physician, attending nurse, or the receptionist you are NVA.

So digital solutions such as EHRs, telemedicine, and data analytics streamline workflows, reduce administrative burdens, and enable effective resource management - in short they should be reducing NVA resources and increasing physician patient time and insights.

EHRs digitize patient records, telemedicine expands access to care, data analytics facilitates informed decision-making, and administrative burden reduction strategies improve practice operations, and job satisfaction.

The administrative burden of EHRs

When EHR systems were new, it was crucial for physicians to be highly involved in their implementation to ensure clinical relevance, user experience, and system quality. However, over time, it has become apparent that health care administrators need to step up and address the challenges physicians face with EHRs, acknowledging their significant administrative burdens without placing blame solely on the physicians.

It is essential to acknowledge that the implementation of EHRs has placed a considerable burden on physicians, leading to burnout and impacting their productivity. Physicians have faced challenges with tasks such as data entry, navigating complex interfaces, and coping with increased documentation requirements. These burdens have taken a toll on their well-being and hindered their ability to provide optimal patient care.

In moving forward, it is crucial for health care administrators to take a non-value added (NVA) approach to EHRs, just as they have recognized the importance of eliminating non-value added activities in other areas of health care. This means actively working to alleviate the administrative burdens that physicians face when using EHR systems.

The future should bring about positive changes for physicians, with EHRs providing increased productivity and valuable insights rather than adding to their administrative burden. It is imperative that health care administrators prioritize the optimization of EHR systems, focusing on user-centered design, streamlined workflows, and effective documentation practices. By addressing these concerns, administrators can help ensure that digital transformation holds its promise of enhancing physician productivity, improving patient care, and driving positive health care outcomes.

To mitigate the administrative burden associated with EHRs, primary care physicians need to take an assertive role in their organizations. Strategies such as advocating for EHR optimization, delegating non-essential tasks, prioritizing training and support, and collaborating with IT departments can help alleviate the burden and improve the overall experience of using EHRs.

Digital transformation is rapidly shaping the primary care landscape, and it is vital for physicians to embrace digital solutions and understand the technologies driving this transformation. While acknowledging the administrative burden physicians have faced, the future should bring productivity and valuable insights to physicians rather than additional administrative burdens. By leveraging technology, primary care physicians can enhance patient care, improve practice efficiency, and pave the way for a brighter future in health care.

James F. Jordan is a medical futurist and innovation expert, transforming healthcare business models to meet evolving needs. He is a Distinguished Service Professor of Health Care and Biotechnology at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, the President of StraTactic, the National Co-Chairman of the BIO Bootcamp, and the Founder of the Healthcare Data Center. He has published numerous articles and books on innovation, startups, intellectual property, and health systems.