Thank you so much for posting this. If you rant on about this for hours in this thread, I for one would be interested.
I have a feeling that your observation that, "Mid-levels and lesser credentialed, like PA's and NP's, providers are being allowed to take on more and more responsibility. For medicine overall, I think this is the right direction. I believe technology means mid-levels can function at a much higher level than in the past. For physicians, it sucks because it's killing any financial incentives." is dead on.
Further I think the technology side really has to start servicing the physician. A GP's office doesn't have to be the place to get an ECG, and a GP doesn't even necessarily have to see the readout barring some kind of change over time. So much of that should be automated and/or done in specialized clinics. I know how it's complicated by data format standardization, privacy, security, and regulation but it's a shame that we can help doctors be more efficient. I will spare the rant about slightly (and slighty justified if I'm being fair) Luddite tendencies among physicians.
I have a feeling that your observation that, "Mid-levels and lesser credentialed, like PA's and NP's, providers are being allowed to take on more and more responsibility. For medicine overall, I think this is the right direction. I believe technology means mid-levels can function at a much higher level than in the past. For physicians, it sucks because it's killing any financial incentives." is dead on.
Further I think the technology side really has to start servicing the physician. A GP's office doesn't have to be the place to get an ECG, and a GP doesn't even necessarily have to see the readout barring some kind of change over time. So much of that should be automated and/or done in specialized clinics. I know how it's complicated by data format standardization, privacy, security, and regulation but it's a shame that we can help doctors be more efficient. I will spare the rant about slightly (and slighty justified if I'm being fair) Luddite tendencies among physicians.