AMA can help you prepare for the health IT future

It was a typically cold and wet spring day more than nine years ago when I entered the e-health world. As a solo practitioner, I wanted to maximize the time I could spend with my patients, reduce costs through eliminating the rows of paper charts, and get myself ready for what I thought was inevitable.

I'd like to tell you that my journey since then has been nothing but smooth sailing and beautiful sunsets. I'd like to say that I never doubted the choices I made. Everyone who knows me knows that is not the case. But when I look back over these past nine years, it's without hesitation that I can say that I'm a better doctor, I've been able to spend more time with my patients, and I know whatever the future holds, I'm prepared.

I also want to tell you this: So is the AMA.

Truth be told, I was involved on the frontlines of health information technology for several years before the AMA finally caught up. There are few topics that spark as much debate for practicing physicians -- and our office managers -- than what to do about health IT. Plenty of vendors want to sell us the "optimal system" or the "prime network for all our practice's needs." We're right to be concerned about implementation and patient disruption. We're right to question how we will ensure compliance with federal standards for Medicare and e-prescribing.

And that's why you'd be right to take a close look at what the AMA has done since we dedicated ourselves to being a leader in the health IT arena. We've partnered with key stakeholders to create and release "A Clinician's Guide to Electronic Prescribing." We worked with the Markle Foundation to create a framework for securing patient information in personal health records. We helped found Medem.com to ensure patients have a reliable source of medical information online.

That's just the beginning. We lobbied Congress for national health IT system standards and funding assistance. Our new partnership with Covisint will make it easier for physicians to adopt health IT. Right now, we're in the beta-testing stage of the Web portal. Early next year, we'll offer it to physicians nationwide.

Literally with a single click, you'll be able to access the most useful tools, resources and educational materials: information on the latest diseases, e-prescribing, electronic health records, financial tools, and communication tools for other physicians and your patients in a subscription service that won't require office servers and qualms about data loss. It will simplify the health IT decision-making and implementation process. These products and services will be personalized to meet your specific needs and help simplify your day-to-day routines so you can focus on what you do best -- caring for patients.

That's what's coming. Already this year, we launched the ePrescribing Learning Center, and we've developed tools and resources to help physicians take advantage of the new Medicare e-prescribing incentive program as well as learn about health IT selection and implementation.

It's happening fast, I know, which is why we're advancing purposefully, making sure that what we offer is not just the "latest app," but that what we offer is useful to you where you need it most.

Over the past nine years, I've learned a tremendous amount about servers and routers and backup file tapes. I'm glad that now I can turn to the experts at the AMA for my future learning and health IT needs.

To view the tools and resources the Association now has available, visit the AMA online (link).

I'm optimistic about the future of health IT -- and the AMA's ability to serve as a leader -- because the issues we'll face are the issues we know. Health IT holds incredible promise for increasing patient safety, improving care coordination between multiple physicians and reducing unnecessary paperwork.

Health IT can help physicians make better decisions about appropriate treatment plans and determine the best course of action because of timely access to patients' medical histories and the latest research. Integrating quality measures into electronic tools will further improve patient care by guiding medical decisions toward proven best practices.

The reality is that widespread health IT adoption will transform the future of patient care. It happens for me with every patient I see. Years ago, I used to scratch out notes and squint at lab results. Now I spend more time with patients and pull up what I need from a simple terminal. When patients access my secure Web site, I can review their charts and respond quickly -- whether I'm in the office or not.

I still get frustrated from time to time. I still have moments where I have to wait for the tech guy. But those events are fewer than ever. After nine years, I am even more excited about the promise of health IT to change medicine for the better.

Health IT holds the promise to make medicine safer by reducing medication errors, improving quality by incorporating quality measures right into an electronic health or medical record system, improving office efficiency by streamlining the process for appointment setting, insurance claims submission, lab report viewing, and more.

Future success will require entire physician and hospital communities to opt in and commit themselves. Change can be scary for some, but physicians have always been among the first to adopt -- and adapt to -- new technology. Health IT is as much a commitment to continue to advance the art and science of medicine as it is to adopt new technologies.

Nine years ago, I had a decent idea of what I wanted to accomplish with a computer system. Over the years, I've developed a pretty clear plan. The AMA may not have been the first e-health player on the block -- and we might not currently be the largest -- but I am confident that we will be one of the most valuable. I am confident that through our partnerships and ability to work with all of the key stakeholders in the private and public sectors, we will be a leader for support and services to all of America's physicians. And it is that leadership that will help all of America's patients.

I'll be sure to send a tweet about what's next.