ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
From NPR News this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel and to your letters now. On yesterday's program we explored the government's plan to computerize the nation's health care system. I spoke with doctor Ashish Jha of the Harvard School of Public Health who wrote a new study on the challenges of creating electronic medical records.
Well that conversation prompted several of our listeners to weigh in. Adam Abraham(ph) of Denver, Colorado writes this: I'm a primary care general internist at a University Hospital Clinic. Three and a half years ago, our institution decided to implement an electronic medical record system in our clinics. While I agree with Dr. Jha that I would never want to go back to a paper chart system with its illegible clinic notes and organizational havoc, our EMR has more than failed to live up to its promise or to my expectations.
I've spent countless hours adapting to the system's seemingly endless quirks, dutifully entering clerical information, patiently waiting through system shut downs and training our new residents each year how to use the counter-intuitive program. Hopefully the stimulus money will enable rapid development of systems which are not just beneficial for patient care, but also doctor friendly.
And Jim Runyun(ph) of Peoria, Illinois wrote to tell us that he too is frustrated by the technology but for a different reason, the price tag. He writes this: I'm the grant writer for a pediatric therapy and rehabilitation organization. We desperately want an electronic medical record system. We've completed 18 months of rigorous study and have identified an excellent system that meets our every need and will recoup its cost in two years. What I need is the money to buy it. Any doctors or hospitals that are hesitant and in line for stimulus funds, please give me a call and I'll gladly put those dollars to work.
And finally the announcement that the Farrelly brothers are planning to direct a feature film of "The Three Stooges" left several of you scratching your heads. Mark Hummer(ph) of Los Angeles writes: confess you aired your story regarding a "Three Stooges" movie starring Jim Carey, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro exactly one week earlier than you had intended. Didn't you?
Well, believe it or not Mr. Hummer, we brought you that story courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter. It was not a gag and today we confirm the news with Conundrum Entertainment which is the Farrelly brothers production company. And you can believe this too. We want to hear from you, so keep the letters coming. Go to npr.org and click Contact Us at the top of the page. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.