BPR: The inference of government has forced a doctor in New London, N.H. to give up her medical license because the doctor does not use a computer with her medical practice business.
The doctor, 84 year old Anna Konopka keeps track of her patients’ medical conditions and prescriptions within files, the old way before computers came about, but the New Hampshire Board of Medicine disagrees on how she handles her files.
Holding manila folders filled with pages of her handwritten reports, Dr. Anna Konopka insisted her system for keeping track of her patients’ medical conditions and various prescriptions works fine.
But the New Hampshire Board of Medicine disagrees. It is challenging the 84-year-old New London physician’s record keeping, prescribing practices and medical decision making.
Part of their concern is her remedial computer skills, which prevent her from accessing and using the state’s mandatory electronic drug monitoring program. The program, which the state signed onto in 2014, requires prescribers of opioids to register in an effort reduce overdoses.
Konopka surrendered her license last month and went to court Friday in an effort to regain it. MORE
She also uses “herbal / naturopathic” medicines for some patients. Can’t have a doctor that isn’t prescribing all the latest prescription drugs for kickbacks can we?
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/12/health/nuedexta-nursing-homes-invs/index.html
The “blind hog” theory applies here – even CNN gets something right every now and then.
I’d trust her more than my doctor. He’s on his laptop for most of every visit (after I wait half an hour).
We’re at the point where Doctors have ceased being Doctors and have become data analysts. They follow a flowchart to determine a problem. I think they lose the ability to develop the instincts to make a good Doctor.
Paper medical records are impossible for the government to collect electronically. This will not do. You have no right to deprive the government of your medical treatment history.
Your tax dollars at work.
“Blind Hog Sniffs Out a Truffle”
Does not participate in the mandatory electronic drug monitoring program which has been soooooo effective in the war on drugs…
She’s probably more concerned about getting her license back so that she can take care of her existing patients over making money!
At her age there won’t be any arm twisting that’s gonna put on a computer.
Maybe the solution is to have a responsible intern, pre-med or medical, assist her in this area for a few hours a week.
It’s sad for her having to be forced into retirement this way, unless she can make some adjustment to comply, this will end her years in medicine.
I have a paper-only doctor.
I’m not so sure I like that.
I think there’s a happy medium between too much computer and too little.
The system she uses has been around at least since Hippocrates, works well and is impossible to hack. Lowell is right, it’s about government control. Nowadays nothing can happen unless it happens on a computer. This good doctor’s way is better.
The one New London in Connecticut is one too many. Now there’s another New London in New Hampshire? FFS.
Electronic medical records were forced on the medical profession so the government can more easily track what your doctor does. An unintended side effect is it is now easier for people to hack your medical records.
Speaking of health, I read about a Brazilian immigrant, who is in London illegally, and had to use their beloved NHS. The guy had some kind of liver problem. They gave him some medicine and sent him home. Little time later, the problems became more serious and he was admitted to the hospital again and they discovered that he needs a liver transplant. The system won’t provide it to him because he’s there illegally. He can’t go back to Brazil in a commercial flight. He needs one of those ambulance planes, which are very expensive. So, he’s in London waiting to die or for some millionaire to donate money for his transportation.
I looked on Google, but I can’t find anything about it in English. His name is Fábio Martins dos Santos, 30 years old, married and has one child.
I had a doctor who was paper only, he retired when SCOTUS ruled Obamacare was here to stay.
I hate everything being on a computer. When my daughter had her baby, constantly crap was either deleted or entered incorrectly and they didn’t keep any of the hard copies. All of them were shredded monthly.
Heck, nowadays I can’t even have sex unless I’m on a computer.
Get the gummint (or is it gubmint?) outta medicine.
They’re only marginally qualified to steal, much less do health administration.
izlamo delenda est …
Our previous doctor who practiced in a poor town of 11,000 had to close his practice and join a big medical corporation in the big city because converting to ACA reporting was too expensive. Our new doctor (who works for another big medical corporation) said that the “cheap” software to convert to government reporting is $500,000. Another hidden cost of POScare.
She needs to have her license revolked. Medicine is way more complicated and complex then it was even 25 years ago and the various different drugs out there have incredibly complex interactions that I would challenge a 30 year old to keep track of much less a 84 year old. I know because I designed the damn things. Going to a book is great except computer tables are updated in realtime (or within 24 hours or so if stand-alone) and books sure as hell aren’t. The advantages to patient health with a decent computer system tracking records and treaments are immeasurable. Frankly, if I walked into a doctors office and I didn’t see a terminal on his/hers desk I’d walk right back out.