If you are frustrated with the limited time your doctor has during your office visit, be prepared for this to get even worse. According to a study published in the October 2014 issue of the International Journal of Health Services, the average doctor now spends nearly 17% of his or her time on billing, obtaining insurance approvals for services, financial and personnel matters, and even negotiating their own contracts for employment.
These researchers found that MDs who used electronic medical records spent MORE time on such tasks than those using only paper records! So much for making life easier for your doctor and for having more time to see you during your office visit!
Electronic medical records have another sinister use. It is the perfect way for the government, Homeland Security, HHS, the IRS, and who knows what other organizations to track what your doctor is doing and how you're being treated. Doctors treating their patients with services that are not approved by the government will be easy to identify and discipline under the guise of practicing fraud! The way your MD could treat your parents is likely not going to be possible again. Medicine is becoming more standardized and oriented to one-size-fits-all!
