Despite the existence of a government program called Meaningful Use, as a doctor I have yet to see a meaningful, positive impact on care from electronic health record (EHR) systems. Regulators pushing for better and more cost effective medicine have decided that electronic technology, which has revolutionized many industries, is the solution needed to revolutionize medicine. We have been told that EHRs will make us better doctors, and they will make patients more responsible and engaged in their care. They go so far as to claim that EHRs will save doctors and hospitals time, that they will provide better coordination of care and save lives.
