Going Paperless, Part 1

It is inevitable in an evolution of a modern medical practice that paper charts become obsolete. Even in our practice, we have been a mix of computer and paper charts for the last 20 years or more. With each year, more upgrades in the programs the paper charts become less and less relevant. However, with that being said, our practice has been in the last 10 years on a plateau as far as progression goes. Our practice management software has always been very sophisticated and its ability to track different aspects of patient care has been very good; however, I have always had a chart in my hand when talking about the patient with my staff. My staff has always carried the charts around and the charts have always been the hub of the practice. Think about it for a minute. The chart is where you go when you ask a question about the patient, their history, what they said when they first came in and is all available with the flip of a page. The chart is also the route through the day as I go from room to room. The chart sits outsides the patients’ door signaling to me that that is where I am to go. While the financial aspect of the patient’s experience in our office has been on a computer for most of my career, it is the medical care of the patient that has always been in the chart.

I believe that this is the most heart-wrenching aspect of abandoning the paper chart system. It almost seems as if one is giving up caring for these patients. The other aspect of charts, is that charts are permanent. What is written on paper is a permanent record of their experience in our office and a permanent record of their lives as they intersect with our care. It is all documented in their paper charts. With the electronic charts, things do not seem as permanent and things do not seem the same.

Ronald S. Prehn, D.D.S.
Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain
Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine

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