Mystery solved

A couple of weeks ago, I e-mailed some friends and colleagues in the biz wondering who originally said that installing an EMR without considering workflow redesign was just automating chaos. I surmised it was likely Don Berwick, David Brailer or Bill Stead.

One response said that, just like with Yogi Berra or Winston Churchill, I could always attribute it to Berwick and people would believe me. As it turned out, it was none of the above—not even Churchill.

In fact, the originator of the quote was Larry Weed. Weed even used the “automating chaos” line in an interview he did with me in 2004. In fact, he’s one of the most quotable people I’ve ever had the privilege of interviewing, which I also did in 2006.