America's physicians are resisting the adoption of electronic health records in spite of substantial federal financial incentives to do so. But they won't be able to resist for long, said Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs and a speaker at HIMSS11.
In a Monday morning session at HIMSS11 Dentzer said there are no magic bullets for making physicians more eager to adopt EHRs. "We'll have to count on the passage of time," she said. "And it's probably going to take longer than we think."
Dentzer predicts there will be more EHR adoption activity by physicians in 2013-2015, in the final years of the HITECH bonus period. "I think ultimately, physicians will work their way through it," she said. "Technology is going to get better and better, and this will help spur adoption along."
According to Dentzer, as more young people come into health professions, the operating standard will be to use EHRs. "Once the upcoming providers are trained with that notion, they can't imagine not using it. Time is going to increase the adoption process as these young professionals enter the industry, and that's going to help health IT adoption catch up, she said.
To indicate the impact of online communication, Dentzer pointed to the recent political upheaval in the Middle East, which some observers have said has been facilitated in part by young people using social networking on Facebook. "If you don't think that holds any meaning for the healthcare profession in the U.S.-- think again," she said.
A new Health Affairs survey of physicians in 2008-2009 found three out of five were unwilling to use a personal health record if presented with one by their patients. "This doesn't require a physician to do anything but go online. It requires no physician input," Dentzer said.
"Give me a break. What planet are you on?," Dentzer would say to these physicians.
All in all, Dentzer predicts a couple of rocky years ahead when it comes to physicians embracing EHRs. However, as more and more large health systems and physician practices begin using patient portals and EHRs, it will drive the market demand for all physicians to use EHRs and to interface with their patients via encrypted email. "We'll see a major shift over the next 10 years," Dentzer said.
