Car Maintenance Offer Solution to EMR Challenges

In a fun piece by the Onion titled: Quick-Lube Shop Masters Electronic Record Keeping Six Years Before Medical Industry offers an alternative solution to the current challenges of implementing an EHR. Since car maintenance is well tracked and probably many of us have experienced the sophistication of he follow up by your local lubrication center sending you a reminder that your car is due the following check ups Karl's Lube & Go is "6 years ahead of the medical industry"

A comprehensive digital cataloging system that keeps track of its customers' car maintenance history, oil-change needs, and past fuel-filter replacements puts Karl's Lube & Go's computerized record- keeping an estimated six years ahead of the medical industry's, sources confirmed Friday. "We figured that a basic database would help us with everything from scheduling regular appointments to predicting future lubrication requirements," said the proprietor of the local oil-change shop, Karl Lemke, who has no special logistical or programming skills, and who described his organizational methods, which are far more advanced than those of any hospital emergency room, as "basic, common-sense stuff." "We can even contact your insurance provider for you to see if you're covered and for how much, which means we can get to work on what's wrong without bothering you about it. The system not only saves me hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, but it saves my customers a bundle, too." 

Whilst tongue in cheek it has bothered me for many years to understand why I would unfailingly get reminders and even incentives from car maintenance but nothing from my local healthcare provider. But then maybe that has more to do with not having a primary care physician which as the USA article revealed: Half of men don't go to the doctor that revealed

45% don't even have a primary-care doctor

Yikes... and the survey goes further

40% of men in their 40s have never had their cholesterol tested, and 70% have never had a prostate exam

I tis no wonder men have a shorter life expectancy than women. Time to do something about this - it is not too late for a New Years resolution. Go find a primary care physician and schedule a check up.....today!

Posted via email from drnic's posterous