If I Had and EHR

Dr. Ross D. Martin, MD, MHA, FACMI, performed the world premier of "If I Had an EHR" (to the tune of "If I Only Had a Brain" with apologies to the Scarecrow, et al.) at the ONC All-Grantee Conference in Washington, DC on December 13th, 2010. 

I could be a brilliant beacon
For patients who are seekin'
Good healthcare from afar
They would travel here for miles
And return back home with smiles
If I had an EHR

I could get to know my patients
And review their vaccinations
To be sure they're up to par
Their pediatric hist'ries
Would no longer be a myst'ry
If I had an EHR

Oh, I could tell you why
Your HDLs weren’t trending the best
And if you were due to get another test
I'd hear a chime to say it's time

I'd chart ev'ry diagnosis,
Procedure or prognosis
No matter how bizarre
And instead of seeing hieroglyphs
My notes could be deciphered if
I had an EHR


I could check the formularies
Of kings and dignitaries
From ev'ry land and tribe
I'd know co-pays on each drug
Of ev'ry Tom, Dick or Doug
If I could only ePrescribe

Picture me--
Across the sea
My patient needs a script
In the past I'd have to interrupt my trip
But today I'll tap my PDA

I'd know contraindications
For all drug combinations
My patients might imbibe
And any chump who's doctor shoppin'
Would be trumped by warnings poppin'
If I'd only ePrescribe


With my patients' full permissions
I could make crucial decisions
Using tests I’d aggregate
With the data I collected
Random clues could be connected
If I'd interoperate

I'd be full of pride
Be honored by my peers
And I'd make quality improvements through the years
'Cause I could see from A to Z

I could shoot out a referral
For the infirmed or the infertile
Cross the street or out of state
From Pacific to Atlantic
We’d be properly semantic
If we'd interoperate
If we only ePrescribe
If we all had EHRs


1 December 2010
©2010 Ross D. Martin, MD, MHA
www.rossmartinmd.com
ross@rossmartinmd.com