I am not quite sure how I feel about this one.

There are a few things that everybody agrees on. One, is that Electronic Medical Records will improve healthcare and simultaneously reduce costs in the system. It is a “no-brainer,” as one real-time record will allow for transparency and eliminate waste, in comparison to paper records and multiple tests ordered (over and over) for the same thing.

Drug interactions, practice management, billing… it is one big bowl of spaghetti, that platforms like our Quantum Group, are seamlessly fixing.

Then I saw an article of how an EMR platform firm, in partnership with UMass Memorial Health Care, planned to fully integrate patients’ end-of-life directives into their electronic medical records.

Wait a second! This just got real!

Yes, the rationale behind it is sound: reducing the cost of care at “end of life” while improving care quality and satisfaction of patients and their families…but really?!

“Unwanted end-of-life health care services can have a significant emotional and financial impact on patients and their families. It’s estimated that $40 to $70 billion in unwanted health care services will be delivered at patients’ end of life in the next decade,” says Tom Valdivia, M.D., M.S., and Chief Executive Officer of Lumināt. “Advance care plans should not be viewed as a ‘nice to have.’ Not having an advance care plan should be considered a medical error,” he added.

This all sounds very efficient and logical, but maybe I don’t want logical!

What about my guardian angel? What about the clouds parting and music playing to swoop in and save the day?

Heck, I still hope every baseball year that the Chicago Cubs will go all the way (after failing for 100 years). There’s always a chance, right?

Why does it have to be chiseled in a stone, maybe I was just in a bad mood that day that I chose?

When dealing with healthcare and money, yes it does become “real” when the final part of the story is in question. I hope I never find myself in that position of having to make that decision for somebody else. Millions of families do, and I can only imagine how agonizing and stressful that must be.

I can just tell you that I will hope at that stage, my credit card balances are at platinum level, and I have a Chicago Cub fan for a doctor.