An 85-year-old doctor went to court Nov. 3 to keep her medical license, which is at risk because she doesn’t use computers and therefore can’t comply with the use of the state’s prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP).
Anna Konopka, MD and a general practitioner in New London, N.H., was told to stop seeing patients Oct. 13. Dr. Konopka, who has practiced for 55 years, told the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper that the state Board of Medicine pressured her to surrender her license..
Dr. Konopka said it’s because she doesn’t use computers and does not have access to New Hampshire’s PDMP.
The state licensing board is challenging her record-keeping, prescribing practices and medical decision-making, the newspaper reported. Dr. Konopka had sought an emergency hearing, but had to close her office Oct. 13 when her license expired.
PRACTICE GOES BACK TO PAPER
The Illinois Pain Institute has done what many physicians only dream about doing. The practice, which has multiple locations in four Illinois counties, ditched its electronic health record (EHR) and went back to paper records.
The private practice voted unanimously to take the step back to paper records two years ago and has not regretted it, John Prunskis, MD, founder and co-director, was quoted as saying in the Becker’s Hospital Review this sumer.
“We felt the level of patient care was not enhanced by an electronic health record. We saw it was inefficient and added nonproductive work to physicians’ time,” Prunskis told the publication.
However, they still have computers, and probably send prescriptions to pharmacies electronically. Rules vary from state-to-state, but pain clinics in Texas, for instance, send signed paper prescriptions and refill requests for Schedule I and II drugs to the pharmacy to be presented in person by the patient or caregiver.
