In a past life

I worked in a medical office. I also worked in a vet's office but that's for another post. Anyway, I worked in a doctor's office and I was in charge of the records. Yes, this was my domain. This was a time when computers were just becoming ubiquitous, yes, I'm that old, and I really did envision a day when medical records would be keep on computers. I actually used to dream about that because do you know how hard it is to copy x-rays?? Anyway, I digress. I could see how this could work. Record info directly into the computer and all the data is kept there. Since this was the beginning of the Internet, I could also see how you and your doctors could all access the information without having to photocopy charts and mail things all over the place. I could see how much easier things could be.

Fast forward a few years decades and my vision is a reality. It was a year or so ago that I noticed my vet moving to Electronic Medical Records. Then I noticed Kaiser was installing computers in all the rooms. Now they are completely electronic. I recently signed up with their website and saw that I could see all my Electronic Health Records. It's kind of cool. I can see all my test results and keep track of everything they've done to me. I can also schedule appointments and such, it's awesome.

This really is cool and everything I thought it would be when I was searching for records through all those rolling shelves. The hours I spent copying and mailing charts and x-rays. It's a great idea. I can see the implications for other places too, like Long Term Care and nursing homes. It's so much easier to have all this information in one place to cut down on flipping through papers and taking the chance on missing something.

I really can see a time when there is little to no paperwork. When everything is done electronically and paper is basically used for record keeping. I myself am moving towards that. I do almost all my stuff online and keep almost everything on my computer. I think soon most everyone will be doing that... Of course, that is assuming the world doesn't end at the end of this year. But that's a post for another time.