New Electronic System Phases Out Paper Records

By Kelly Garrison
Features Editor

In an effort to make medical treatment safer and faster, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children’s Hospital have begun phasing out paperwork from record-keeping systems.

In its place, a new electronic medical records (EMR) program will allow doctors and medical staff to access information directly through computer workstations and from remote locations. Darice Hawkins, a clinical nurse specialist in the hospital’s department of cardiology, said the system would reduce technical mistakes and improve service for patients.

“There are errors that occur, and we need to work on reducing that,” she said. “This is more efficient for patients to get better care. We can all look at the same chart at the same time — it’s definitely different than using paper copies.”

Staff will enter information through what she called “WOWs,” or “Workstations On Wheels.” Prescriptions, vital signs and treatments will go into the password-protected system, which can be accessed from doctors’ offices or homes.

“When a community member is admitted, it gives us information about their medicines or allergies,” Hawkins said. “This is so much safer, because the user puts it in and the clarity is better.”

Using the EMR system, doctors can prescribe medicine or order treatment without passing it on in paper format. Hawkins said that means that information won’t get lost in translation once it leaves the doctor’s hands.

“And if they get readmitted, we won’t lose that data,” she said.

In addition, data gets automatically transferred to other department computer systems when necessary. For example, if a physician orders an x-ray for a patient, the request will be sent to the radiology department; later, the results would get sent back to the doctor electronically.

“Physician order entry has been the same for more than 200 years — a fountain pen,” Douglas McConnell, medical director of Physician Informatics at LBMMC, said in a press release. “EMRs will improve documentation and provide multiple improvements for physicians, nurses and patient safety — it’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

Hospital staff members are being trained on the program now and will continue training until July, at which time an estimated 7,000 employees will be able to use the EMR system. After its implementation is complete, hundreds of program experts, or “super users,” will be on hand to answer any questions about it.

The program costs a total of $62 million for implementation and is being paid for by the Memorial Care operating funds and also by donations. LBMMC/MCH is among the 10% of hospitals in the country, including Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, that have begun using EMR programs.