Technology exam: Why should you buy?

Before prescribing technology for what ails your practice, diagnose the problems in your office and take the time to examine the most workable solution.

By Larry Stevens, AMNews correspondent. June 25, 2001.

You're worried that office automation technology may be passing you by. Might be a good idea to get on board the computer bandwagon while the getting is good. Cold calls from software vendors are more frequent. Maybe this is a good time to see what they have to offer, right?

Wrong, say most experts. Buying technology for its own sake or out of fear of being left behind is a big mistake.

"Many physicians browse for technology products in a vacuum without reference to their specific needs. What they frequently end up with is a system that is never used, or is never successfully implemented into their practice," says health care informatics specialist Eugene R. Worth, MD,

Dr. Worth helps doctors evaluate and purchase health care technology through his firm, Medical Information Technologies in Columbia, Mo. He warns against buying a system because it is the latest or has the most bells and whistles.

"Technology should be in the background -- a tool, not a monument," the Columbia, Mo., anesthesiologist says. Before calling a technology vendor, physicians should consider their workflow process, budget, technology assets and skills, and, most important, the problems that need to be solved. Only then can you decide on the technology that fits best with your practice.

A technology solution should be just that: a solution to an identifiable problem. Physicians who have successfully implemented technologies know before purchasing each product how it can help a specific activity of the practice. Says internist Sarah T. Corley, MD, "We paid close attention to which aspects of office jobs are expensive, not working well, are time-consuming or are hated." [...]