Only 1.5 Percent of Hospitals Nationwide Have Comprehensive Electronic Health Records
Newswise — Medical records at Rush University Medical Center are now fully electronic, allowing real-time communication and coordination of patient care across departments and within the entire health care team.
The two-year, multi-phased transition from paper documents to full clinical documentation using the new electronic health records system was completed in March.
Fewer than two percent of hospitals nationwide have adopted a comprehensive electronic health records system like Rush's that covers all clinical units.
"The new system allows physicians, nurses and other members of the health care team to review and document every aspect of patient care online " from medical histories, clinical notes and physician orders to diagnostic tests and prescriptions," said Dr. Julio Silva, chief medical information officer
Rush's electronic health records management system is a key component of the medical center's 10-year Transformation project, begun in 2006, which includes new facilities, renovations and state-of-the-art technologies to improve clinical outcomes and the entire patient and family experience.
"We began the transition to electronic health records while simultaneously planning our new facilities so that the benefits of the system could be incorporated into the buildings' design and layout," said Dr. Larry Goodman, president and CEO of Rush. "With medical charts online, our building design was able to move away from large central nurses' stations to decentralized work areas and mobile computer platforms at the point of care, dramatically changing how caregivers work with each other and with patients."
The new electronic health records system also supports Rush's efforts to further improve patient outcomes. The system's "clinical decision support" features pop-up screens with alerts, reminders and checks for health care providers when they log into a patient record. For example, medication alerts signal if a patient is allergic to a drug that has been newly prescribed, based on the patient's medical history. Medication alerts are also triggered when interactions between drugs could be harmful. Calculations are automatically provided for drugs whose dosage is weight-dependent. Other electronic reminders prompt caregivers about recommended evidence-based clinical guidelines, such as the diagnostic tests and medications to consider for patients with congestive heart failure based on a nationwide knowledge base of experience.
By dispensing with paper records, the electronic system improves safety " for example, by minimizing errors that could occur in transcribing physicians' orders " and makes the delivery of care more efficient. Patient records are all located in one electronic document, rather than lying in archives in different departments. Every record, note, order and assessment can be accessed online through a secure login.
"The records are available in real time and from anywhere both within the hospital and outside, through a secure-access online system," Silva said. "Even when physicians are not at the hospital they can quickly access a patient's records and take any necessary action, such as prescribing a medication or ordering a test."
"Implementation of the electronic medical records system was extremely complex, but highly successful, thanks to the training program we instituted throughout Rush and the full support of everyone involved, from senior administrators to clinicians," said Lac Van Tran, senior vice president and CIO. According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, only 1.5 percent of U.S. hospitals have a comprehensive electronic-record system covering all clinical units. An additional 7.6 percent have a basic system serving at least one clinical unit. Only 17 percent of hospitals have implemented a computerized provider-order entry for medications.
President Barack Obama has challenged hospitals to computerize all health records within five years in order to create a national health record system. According to President Obama, a national health record system would cut waste, eliminate red tape, and reduce the need to repeat expensive medical tests. In addition, the President says electronic medical record systems save lives by reducing deadly but preventable medical errors.
Rush's electronic medical records system was designed by Epic Systems Corporation, a medical software developer based in Madison, Wisconsin.
Rush University Medical Center includes a 674-bed (staffed) hospital; the Johnston R. Bowman Health Center; and Rush University (Rush Medical College, College of Nursing, College of Health Sciences and the Graduate College).
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