title: Data control. Primary care practice improves productivity and profitability with electronic medical system.
abstract: Washington Primary Care Physicians, Washington, D.C.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Keeping up with 15,000 patients, 20 percent of whom were covered under Medicare and Medicaid, was proving impossible with WPCP's paper-based record system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Implementing an electronic medical record.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fewer problems associated with lost or missing paper documents, lower medical records costs (e.g., filing and storage); and the elimination of duplicative manual tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patience and flexibility is critical. All involved must understand and believe that the transition from paper to electronic charts is a process and not an event.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Basch
mesh_terms: D004219:District of Columbia; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000191:economics*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D014584:User-Computer Interface