[dotti105]

We are making our permanent move to our home in TV this month and are anticipating getting established with The Villages Health Care System. I have been reading many of the posts here to educate myself regarding our expectations.

One thing I see, again and again, are negative tone references to the "provider"(PA or MD, DO, NP) spending time on the computer during your visit. I am a RN and still working in this fast changing healthcare climate and I feel that I must explain that from now on, we had all better get used to that scenario.

With the advent of electronic medical records which provide instant access for a provider to your medical history when needed, we will be seeing the provider using the computer during our visit and exam. At least, that is the way it should be!!

Electronic records are much more accurate and detailed. Your provider is required to fill in his "chart" as the visit occurs. This is for your benefit. I personally would be very concerned if my provider did not chart during the appointment, in live time.

The newer, younger, more computer literate providers will chart as they are making eye contact with you and it will not be as intrusive. A less computer literate provider will struggle more and those "keyboarding skills" they did not develop early in their career will be a challenge for them. Those are the providers who appear to not be listening, to not be a personable during an appt. Most likely they will also be running late for appts too as they try to "fill in the blanks" between appointments.

Many of the providers that I work with have chose to retire rather than figure out how to "chart", or "write orders" electronically. In most cases, it was time for them to move on anyway.

Change is never easy. Insurance companies have written the rules for health care for so long, and now we are struggling with health care changes. Some of which are long overdue. There will be many changes in the future. But I can guarantee you that the computer, or tablet will be in the exam room with you. As new and strange as that may seem, most of us in the trenches of healthcare do feel that it is time, in fact past due, for many of these changes.

Try to see past the computer to communicate with your provider and realize that for many this is new and strange for them as well.

We all are required to demonstrate some patience and do our part to make time with our provider productive, as we each deal with healthcare changes as they occur.

But please do not think that your provider is "on the computer" rather than listening to you. The computer is helping them to address your needs today and to provide the documentation that may need to be reviewed in the future to meet your ongoing needs.

Hope this helps some to understand the role of the computer in the exam room.