In my previous post I emphasized how important it was to have a vision for an electronic health record before you head into a selection process. One should not buy their requirements from a consultant, they should develop them based upon a clear business purpose.

So, I present to you the most recent draft of Affinity’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) Manifesto:

Preface: For the first time in the 100+ year history of Affinity, and it’s predecessors, we are fundamentally changing the way that we practice medicine. This new model is based upon the Affinity Health Management Vision.

How we practice medicine will be hard-wired into the patient encounter: Good care will no longer be dependent upon the physician’s ability to remember the guidelines that vary by patient’s age, gender and existing conditions. Instead, the guidelines will be pushed to the physician via the exam room computer. These will not be generic guidelines, they will be specific to each patient. Consequently, the patient and the physician will know every patient is being treated by the most current and up to date evidence-based guidelines every time without anything being missed due to memory lapse or a lack of guideline awareness. This zero-defect approach will make good doctors great and great doctors even better.

Information systems will support efficient, thorough care: Valuable physician time will not be wasted searching the abyss of today’s electronic medical record. Instead, a new generation of electronic health records will assemble the most relevant test results and vital signs in a way that facilitates the practice of medicine using the guidelines. This presentation of the patient’s electronic health record will be the centerpiece of the exam room visit.

The management of the patient’s health will no longer be limited to the clinic setting: Population management tools will be used to monitor patient compliance with their guidelines and to intervene before care is overdue. These efforts will be coordinated across the system (AMG, NHP disease and case management, Occupational Health, Nurse Direct, etc.) to ensure the most efficient use of resources. As a result, AMG patients will receive all of the appropriate primary care and screening exams, improving their health.

Furthermore, our interactions with the patient will extend to their homes through WISDOM mailings and AffinityConnect, the patient portal.

How patients perceive Affinity will be greatly improved because patients will see us proactively reaching out to them, not just waiting for them.

The patient experience will be more open and personalized: Our WISDOM initiatives will provide patients access to the same personalized health information as the physician. They will more fully understand their plan for care and patients will be more engaged in the physician/patient partnership. AffinityConnect will provide access to their information when they want to review it. Constant feedback will engage the patient and enrich the physician/patient partnership.

Our interactions with the patient will be personalized using the data and new electronic tools. Ironically, the result of this high tech approach will be perceived by patients as more human and caring.