Darrell Youngman

John Dickerson, I admire your work and that of your colleagues. However, you exposed a flaw in your understanding of electronic medical records (EMR) during the discussion on stolen medical records this week. Your comment that it was a shame that records were stolen since, and I paraphrase, "they are otherwise so useful" does not have a basis in fact. I would challenge you to examine evidence and find examples of improved outcomes ... actual overall improved health ... with EMR's. The unanticipated difficulties and complications engendered by these systems have led to many errors in medical care, in most cases more than in the paper-and-pen era. They are despised by almost every healthcare worker for, among other things, interfering in the basic human interactions of providing true medical care.directed to another human being. Yes, they are great for insurers, billing, governmental analysts who want numbers (even if they're terribly inaccurate) and a way to "manage" medical care. Please don't buy the hype. You would be quite surprised if you did a bit of research. Thanks for your (otherwise !) good work.