EMRs for specialists: physicians take the helm

To make matters even more daunting, [Vandana Ahluwalia] soon learned that none of the electronic medical record (EMR) systems approved for government funding by OntarioMD (a subsidiary of the Ontario Medical Association funded by eHealth Ontario) was designed with her needs as a specialist in mind. "The EMR systems are geared toward family practitioners," she explains. "Specialty-specific tools require customization." With more than 80% of Ontario family physicians eligible for EMR subsidies using the systems, the big challenge now is to persuade more specialists to adopt them, says [Brian Forster], who estimates that only half of Ontario specialists use EMRs. And to increase that number, he adds, physician leaders like Ahluwahlia are instrumental. "Vendors have been quite receptive but need well-defined requirements from specialists," he explains. "To get them, you need strong leaders like her." As in Ontario, connecting general practitioners and specialists remains a huge challenge in BC. To help address that challenge, physicians will have to roll up their sleeves and get under the hoods of their machines, says Dr. Bruce Hobson, lead physician for an EMR community of practice in Powell River, BC. "It's all about getting physicians to change their way of thinking about using the EMRs to assist in clinical decisionmaking and team work," he says. "Until you have true interoperability everything is just a big work-around." - Paul Christopher Webster, Toronto, Ont.