The requirements for clinicians to “document” their work started with third-party payment. Without documentation (the right documentation), there is no payment.

Over the years, the documentation process has changed from documentation on paper files to documentation using a computer. And the advent of electronic health records (EHR) mandates shifted that documentation to those systems (see The Clinician-Friendly EHR).

But most EHR systems weren’t built with the clinician in mind. They were built to get electronic billing information to payers and health plans and the results reflect those early designs. A study found that primary care practitioners spend more than 50% of their workday using their EHR—355 minutes (5.9 hours) of an 11.4 hour workday (see …