Beyond EHRs: How Technology Can Help You Treat Chronic Illness

March 2008  | Heinzelmann PJ, Kvedar JC, Kibbe DC

Family Practice Management. March 2008. Vol.15, No.3, pgs 29-32.

More than 133 million Americans currently live with a chronic condition.1 The incidence of chronic illness is accelerating as the baby boom generation ages and young Americans become increasingly sedentary. Case in point: The number of individuals with diabetes in the United States is expected to double to more than 48 million by the year 2050.2

The numbers are staggering and perhaps overwhelming for primary care physicians. That's understandable because, in its present form, the U.S. health care system is largely ineffective in the management of chronic illness.3 Several medical schools have responded by developing curricula emphasizing chronic disease management, but shortages of family physicians and other primary care specialists are expected to continue as fewer medical students enter these fields. This greater demand and diminished supply further support the need for new models of care delivery. Seven to 10 minutes is the norm for a typical follow-up office visit, but even if we could cut that time in half and double patient volume, we would not begin to address the growing supply and demand problem. Simply put, we are losing the capacity battle.

All hope is not lost, however. This article discusses how technology can help family physicians not only keep up with the needs of their chronically ill patients but also increase the quality of their care.

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