Most hospitals handle their patient charting, medication ordering and critical communications through handwriting that is often illegible — a method the Obama administration intends to change for all Americans by 2014.
A centerpiece in President Obama’s efforts to reform health care is in the adoption of the electronic medical record (EMR) that promises to lower costs and improve quality. This revolution is bringing an end to millions of manila folders holding countless pieces of patient information and scribbled notes. In their place are EMRs that can transport patient information in real time with the click of a button.
To learn more, Smart Business turned to executives at MemorialCare Health System, a pioneer in computerization of medical information. Steve Geidt is CEO of Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, whose Laguna Hills campus was the first Orange County facility to fully “go live” with electronic medical records. Marcia Manker is CEO of Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley that is completing its EMR implementation.
What is an Electronic Medical Record (EMR)?
Manker: Electronic medical records place the patient’s full medical history into computers and information systems, allowing clinicians to better coordinate care through immediate access to secure patient data. Through EMRs, patient information including health history, medications, laboratory results and more is easily accessible by physicians and health care providers.
This minimizes waste and inefficiency of manual and paper-based processes, maximizes clinical quality at points of decision-making and eliminates most paper used in patient documentation. While paper slows care and creates environments ripe for error, the EMR’s efficiency of delivery helps prevent unnecessary orders and diagnostic tests, reduces medical errors and improves quality of care.