The Glenn Medical Center has a new Electronic Health Record system.
“From our perspective, this will provide more quality care, patient safety and quick access to medical charts,” center Controller Maria Zamora said.
Doctors and medical staff can get information with a click of a button instead of having to look for a paper chart, she said Thursday.
The medical center has been using the electronic program since May 1, officials said, in the inpatient hospital, surgery and emergency departments, laboratory, dietary services and respiratory and physical therapy departments.
This program will be used system wide and include the center’s clinics by Sept. 1, Zamora said.
The EHR is a collection of a patient’s health information including allergies, medications, treatment schedules and more.
Medical providers will have “everything at their fingertips,” Zamora added, all on one screen. This will streamline the process.
EHR programs are designed to share information with other health providers, hospital officials said.
The program is created to not only improve patient care but increase patient participation in his or her care.
It also can improve accuracy of diagnoses, improve coordination of care and increase efficiencies and cost savings, according to the medical center.
“Glenn Medical Center is focused on providing high quality care and EHR systems have shown to be a great benefit to all involved in the healthcare process,” Center Administrator Sam Ruma said in a written statement.
Zamora said the medical center has been working on the program for more than a year, but officially signed a contract with the program provider in December.
“We got it up and running in five months,” she said, which is an accomplishment.
Glenn Medical Center chose Computer Program and Systems, Inc. as its software provider, officials said. That company is certified with the Office of National Coordinator, the primary federal entity that coordinates nationwide efforts to implement and use this medical technology.
The software is setup so every user has his own login, which provides access only to the information he or she needs, officials said.
It also has a built-in audit system to see who is accessing information and when.
Registered nurse Karen Bom said in a written statement her favorite part of the program is the patient education component that has information and diagrams to explain conditions to them as well as how to care for themselves when they leave the hospital.
