YOUR ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD: BETTER COMMUNICATION, BETTER CARE

Nanticoke Health Services is committed to the providing quality health care for our community. An essential piece of providing the best care possible is providing the best communication possible. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (HRRA) of 2009 was adopted to help healthcare providers improve the health of the nation through a solid health information infrastructure.

 

The five goals of this piece of legislation are to (1) improve quality, safety, efficiency, and reduce health disparities; (2) engage patients and families; (3) improve care coordination; (4) ensure adequate privacy & security and (5) improve population and public health.

 

Nanticoke Memorial Hospital is proud to be among the elite 30% of the nation’s hospitals that are well underway in the journey toward a comprehensive Electronic Health Record (EHR) by already implementing an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and a Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) system. 

 

But what does all this mean? There are a many terms and definitions around the ARRA of 2009 and many parts to an Electronic Health Record (EHR).  

 

Often confused with the EHR is the EMR or Electronic Medical Record. The EMR is the electronic version of the traditional paper medical record. With all the communication technology in our world today, it can be surprising that many health care providers still use the traditional paper medical record. Often, a paper medical record is still used because the cost of technology is high. With the ARRA there are incentives to help health care providers move toward an EMR and eventually to a true EHR. This is important because paper medical records often limit communication and collaboration among your health care team and is often inconvenient, as you have to complete the same paperwork over and over again at each office or health care location you visit.  

 

Another component of the EHR is the CPOE or Computerized Physician Order Entry system. The CPOE allows physicians to not only view a patient’s electronic medical record but also to order testing and medications and to sign a patient’s chart electronically. This means, for a patient in the hospital, physicians can review a patient’s chart from his/her office and order necessary testing for more timely patient care and treatment. This same physician can also be in his/her office and see the results of tests that have been completed or notes from other physicians who are treating the same patient.

 

Nanticoke Memorial Hospital is proud to have successfully implemented EMR and CPOE. In summary, what this means for patients is:

 

 

 

“For a community hospital like Nanticoke, having the EHR project already underway with the second phase complete is rare. This is another example of how Nanticoke is committed to the health of our community,” said Steven A. Rose, RN, MN, President and CEO of Nanticoke Health Services.

 

In addition to the advances in information technology at the hospital, the Nanticoke Physician Network is in the process of also implementing the first phases of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) throughout its physician offices. This will provide for higher quality patient care in the physician offices similar to those noted above but will also make care more convenient. With the first phase expected to be complete by the end of the year, patients will no longer have to provide the same personal, insurance and health information to each health care provider they see within the Nanticoke Physician Network. So, for example, if you see your primary care physician and he/she refers you to one of the network specialists like one of our network Urologists, the Urologist will already have access to all the necessary demographic and insurance information as well as access to your health information noted by your primary care physician.

 

“We are excited to about the quick progress of this project. We are already seeing results in the form of improved physician communication and continuous improvement in the quality of care received by our patients,” said Penny Short, Chief Nursing Officer.