METHODIST HOSPITAL GOES LIVE WITH EMR
On December 1st, Methodist Hospital took one giant step towards becoming a paperless hospital as we activated the Patient Care System (PCS). This system is only one component of Meditech - the brand name for our clinical information system - and allows staff members throughout the hospital to input observations, lab results, physician orders, and other pertinent information directly into the patients chart.
The ultimate goal of Meditech is to integrate the various components of a patients stay and compile them into one document accessible to all departments throughout the continuum of care simultaneously. By doing so, we elevate the level of patient safety, overall quality, and efficiency in providing a broad range of services throughout the hospital. Ultimately, this system will replace the patients paper chart thereby creating an electronic medical record (EMR).
Clinical IT Coordinator Kenny Noblett says, The road to a full EMR is long and winding but in the end, is completely worth the effort. He adds, The computerization of the massive number of paper forms in the hospital will not only dramatically increase patient safety, but it will someday provide the data needed to find better ways to treat some diseases and conditions.
Beginning the Conversion
The conversion to electronic medical records began on June 1, 2008, with installation of the hospitals general ledger, billing, receiving, medical records, materials management, and laboratory information into the Meditech system.
In February 2009, the hospitals new budget was inputted into the Meditech system and payroll and personnel functions were activated.
Phase II began in March 2009, and included the scanning and archiving of medical records into a database. In May 2009, Surgical Services began managing surgical cases through Meditech.
Patient Care System
The next step in Phase II was activation of the Patient Care System. This step was especially challenging as it represented a shift in work processes from charting at the bedside with a pen and paper chart, to entering that same patient information into a computer.
Scott Revlet and Rita West, Clinical IT nurses, have spent months building the software that controls our entire electronic medical record system. We have taken the tools given to us by Meditech and totally customized the system to meet the specific needs of Methodist Hospital and Methodist Hospital Union County, says Mr. Revlet.
Ms. West adds, We focused on the clinical application of this software to ensure that patient safety was the top priority. We tested and retested the various care plans to make sure our creations matched the needs of the caregivers and their patients.
Going Live
Methodist Hospital Union County was the first facility to activate the PCS system on November 2nd. MHUC provided a fantastic opportunity for the implementation of PCS, says Mr. Noblett. With the smaller number of staff and patients, it allowed us to implement the software in a controlled environment and to find and repair any issues quickly. The staff was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and willing to take on the responsibility.
Methodist Hospital in Henderson activated its PCS system on December 1st at 7:00 a.m. For that first day and the next two weeks, Methodist depended on the expert training and knowledge of 62 Super Users to help staff members on the nursing units transition from paper charts to computer generated ones.
During the implementation process, we had only minor issues arise, says Mr. Revlet. The biggest challenge we face is that electronic charting changes the way the nurses practice. Becoming comfortable with such a radical shift will take time.
Next Steps
Once the dust settles from implementation of the PCS, the Meditech team will concentrate on completing and activating electronic charting for the Emergency Department followed by creation of a patient discharge system.
Eventually, all credentialed physicians will have access to the Meditech system, enabling them to input patient information into the system from their home or office.
The key word in this whole endeavor is transformation, says Mr. Noblett. We are transforming our system to meet the demands of patients now and in the future. The days of trying to find a paper chart and decipher the doctors orders in it are over. Before long, we wont remember how we ever worked without computers at the bedside.
