Introduction
This document outlines the conversion to an electronic health records system for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. It is important to note that the conversion process is only the beginning. The process must be clear and understandable to all members of the organization. Members must be trained extensively and retrained on an ongoing basis. Changes must be made in a well thought out manner and this must be communicated effectively to the members that are affected. The effectiveness of the system should be monitored and evaluated regularly and those that do not comply must be disciplined properly.
Historical and Current Perspective
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is a medical provider with close to one hundred clinic and hospital locations located across the state of Wisconsin with satellite locations in northern Illinois as well. The locations amount to two hospital facilities located in Wisconsin (Milwaukee and Neenah) one of which is labeled a level one trauma center and was labeled the number four children’s hospital in the nation by Parents Magazine in 2013 (www.chw.org).
In early 2011 Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin (CHW) informed it patients and the general public that it would be fully immersed in another version of the electronic health record system, EPIC, by the completion of the 2012-2013 fiscal year. With so many hospital, clinic, and community locations, the hospital needed to implement the system in phases and fully engage thousands of
This case analysis of Stanford’s Hospital and Clinics (SHC) electronic medical record (EMR) system implementation will focus on how the healthcare organization focused on resolving a problem to meet regulatory pressures and responded to an opportunity to create operational efficiency, by capitalizing on the use of information technology to help reduce costs. We will discuss the organization’s IT problems, opportunities, and the alternatives available to address each. We will summarize an analysis of potential alternatives including the organization’s EMR system of choice and conclude with a recommendation to the Board on how to rollout the new system.
The scenario for this assignment has asked me as a health care employee to provide information on electronic health records. The information I include should provide positive and effective feedback to convince the medical management staff to switch their current record filing system which happens to be paper records to electronic filing.
Our one hundred bed hospital is in need of updating from paper charting to computerized health records. In doing this, we will meet our goal of compliance with meaningful use legislation. We assembled a team of members to assist with this task and together we have narrowed the search to two health care systems. Those two systems are EPIC and Meditech and we will now discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each, with a final recommendation for our new healthcare system.
Epic is a single integrated system for the clinical and business functions of health care provision that include registration, scheduling, and billing. The system is owned by Epic Systems, formerly Episodic Care, a large provider of HIT (health information technology) and is mainly utilized by health providers in accessing, systematizing, storing, and distributing EMR’s. Epic Systems is an independent firm in Verona, Wisconsin with a vast campus. Epic is useful in streamlining regulatory compliance, clinical workflow, quality care, the patient experience, and clinical documentation. This is a reflection of the
Electronic health records is a major component in the United States health care system. It has been proven to improve health care quality by saving time and reducing
Over the previous eight years, there has been a significant investment of private and public funds to upsurge the adoption of Electronic health records (EHRs) across the nation. The extensive adoption and “meaningful use” of electronic health records is a national priority. EHRs come in various forms and can be utilized in distinct organizations, as interoperating systems in allied health care units, on a regional level, or nationwide. The benefit of utilizing an EHR depends heavily on provider’s uptake on technology. Benefits related to electronic health records are numerous and may have clinical, organizational and societal outcomes. However, challenges in implementing electronic health records has attained some attention, the implementation
My facility has rolled out the implementation of Epic electronic health system. The implementation process started at the primary acute hospital setting, beginning on a test unit. It was then rolled out to the other hospital locations. All health care providers were mandated to
The ARRA includes the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which pursues to improve American Healthcare and patient care through an extraordinary investment in Healthcare IT (HIT). The requirements of the HITECH Act are precisely designed to work jointly to provide the necessary assistance and technical operation to providers, enable grammatical relation and organization within and among states, establish connectivity in case of emergencies, and see to it the workforce is properly trained and equipped to be meaningful users of certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs). These computer software products are designed collaboratively to intensify the footing for every American to profit from an electronic health record (EHR) as part of a modernized, interrelated, and vastly improved grouping of care delivery.
Technology has come a long way over the years and continues to advance rapidly. The health care system is greatly affected by the advancements in technology. An example of this would be the use of electronic health records (EHR). In this paper I will be describing the electronic health record system. How my facility has initiated the EHR with following the six steps and describe meaningful use and how my facility is working towards this. Lastly I will discuss how to maintain patient confidentiality with use of EHR, and what my facility is doing to prevent HIPPA violations.
With the advent of electronic health records (EHR’s) and The American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, electronic health records have become main stream and a requirement for healthcare providers who treat Medicaid and Medicare patients. An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart (Health IT, n.d.). EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users. A portion of ARRA provides reimbursements to providers that have EHR’s that are certified for meaningful use. Certified EHR’s meet meaningful use requirements by meeting the government the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH)
The process of migrating from paper-based charts to electronic records is a complicated process that requires dealing with all issues. The process has no particular route, but strategic planning and execution are necessary so that all risk issues get dealt before they happen. The article proposes changes made depending on the ambulatory care. The goals must become tactical, reasonable and measurable. The process requires a timeline that’s needed to ensure human resource and financial resources meet all the demands. An assessment of the hospital’s readiness determines the software and hardware gap, employee competencies and training, and human technology interaction.
Electronic health records (EHR’s) have many advantages, but there are plenty of disadvantages. EHR’s were created to manage the many aspects of healthcare information. Medical professionals use them daily and most would feel lost without it. Healthcare organizations were encouraged to adopt EHR’s in 2009 due to the fact that a bill passed known as The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act). “The HITECH Act outlines criteria to achieve “meaningful use” of certified electronic records. These criteria must be met in order for providers to receive financial incentives to promote adoption of EHRs as an integral part of their daily practice”, (Conrad, Hanson, Hasenau & Stocker-Schneider, 2012).
Health care organizations that choose to convert to an electronic medical record system (EMR) have several advantages; most important it increases patient safety, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and security. Accepting such a transition also presents with its share of challenges like preparing for the required significant time obligation and resources that will make the transition a successful one. Leadership and management must create an atmosphere that will get the buy-in of all stakeholders. Providing information about the process and what methods will be best to make the conversion to an EMR system is an important aspect of the implementation
This case study is based on the integration of electronic medical records known as EMR. The integration process came from Dryden, New York and was tested by a small medical practice named Dryden Family Medicine. The practice has been known for its outstanding family based services given to their community. The implementation process of EMRs doesn’t come without risks, but with its outstanding paper based medical record keeping that continued to expand as the practice grew left the Dryden Family practice no other choice but to try out something new in hopes for a better outcome.
Patton-Fuller Community Hospital is a nonprofit Healthcare organization in the city of Kelsey that has provided quality