EMR - The Road to Electronic Medical Records

From the Spring 2009 issue of Dove Tales, the Provena Health employee magazine 

Electronic medical records (EMR) offer a variety of benefits to clinicians and patients. Provena is currently in the process of implementing an EMR in all six of our hospital ministries and is looking to have a paperless system in place by 2013.

"Because records can be viewed anytime, anywhere, access to information is much quicker and much more convenient."

--John Lynch, System Vice President, Chief Information Officer of Provena Health

"We want our care to be safe and effective, and we believe that moving to EMR is a step in enhancing that care. Sharing this information electronically will enable more patient-centered care and will also have a positive impact on safety, effectiveness, and timeliness."

--Margi Gavigan, System Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer of Provena Health

Historically, medical practitioners and hospitals have tracked a patient's medical records using ink and paper. During the last decade, however, a revolution has occurred in medical records management. Healthcare systems, including Provena, are moving toward EMR systems that store medical records in computer databases.

"Moving from conventional methods of record keeping to a paperless system is certainly an opportunity," says Margi Gavigan, System Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer of Provena Health. "But we believe that all of the changes will be improvements across the board and that an EMR will help improve our work days."

Paperless Systems Save More Than Just Trees

The benefits of an EMR are numerous-not only does it enhance patient safety, but it also improves workflow for members of the care team.

"One of the most significant benefits of the EMR is how much time it will save caregivers accessing critical patient information," says John Lynch, System Vice President, Chief Information Officer of Provena Health.

"The goal set by the government of assuring that we have electronic health records within 10 years has helped push healthcare providers to plan for and implement this technology," John says. "By creating these electronic medical record databases on a small scale-first at the hospital and physician office level, then sharing this information privately and securely among healthcare providers-that link can be taken a step further to provide a nation-wide health information network (NHIN). The NHIN is another component of the government's healthcare IT goals."

In addition to enhancing timeliness, an EMR also offers hospitals a way to streamline workflow and automate processes, which will help avoid the feeling of being weighed down with paperwork.

Besides helping clinicians, there are numerous benefits for our patients.

"We think that the EMR will help us communicate with each other, which will further ensure optimal care for each patient," says Margi. "Within the EMR software, there are also a lot of built-in checks that will help us reduce errors occasionally caused by handwriting or other human errors."

EMR at Provena

While Provena ministries are not yet completely paperless, we do have several aspects of the EMR system in place. Full implementation of an EMR is a multistage process and different ministries are at different stages of that process.

Provena United Samaritans Medical Center was the first ministry to implement electronic medication verification (Enhanced Medication Management) and smart pump technology-and they did so with great success.

"Our nurses and clinicians have found these modules to be of tremendous benefit," says Mike Brown, President and CEO at PUSMC "The benefits are much larger than just being a part of the EMR-this is a tool that can help us avoid making a mistake and helps us create an exceptionally safe, quality environment for our patients."

For more information about EMR and how it may improve your work environment, contact the information services department at your ministry.

Electronic Medical Records Stages

Converting paper medical records to electronic records is a nationwide initiative, and the adoption process is set out in seven different stages. Here are some of the important stages as they relate to Provena.

• Clinical documentation, clinical decision support system (CDSS) error checking, and additional picture archiving system capabilities are added in Stage 3. Provena is currently at this stage (as of early 2009).
• Computerized physician order entry and CDSS clinical protocols are added in Stage 4. Provena is scheduled to complete this stage by the end of 2012.
• Stage 5 features closed loop medication administration, which should be incorporated into Provena's EMR for the remaining five hospitals by 2011.

It is Provena's goal to complete all seven stages, be completely paperless, and be part of a nation-wide health information network within the next five years.