Memorial Hospital System in Colorado Springs, Colo., has an electronic health records system that has improved efficiency by allowing physicians and nurses to record, track and update patients' health histories, the Denver Post reports.
The Electronic Clinical Information Processing System -- launched in April -- also records and tracks patient registration, lab tests, X-rays, and prescription and pharmacy data. The database can be accessed through desktop computer workstations or tablet PCs, which enable physicians and nurses to view and update patient data at the bedside. The tablet has a stylus to navigate the system and to write patient notes, which can be transferred to the database through the hospital's closed wireless network, the Post reports.
Memorial physicians also receive alerts when patients' test results are completed and if prescribed medications conflict with each other. Nurses in the hospital's rehabilitation department trained for eight hours on the system before it was implemented, according to the Post.
Cerner in 2005 developed and customized the $17 million system. IBM integrates scanned images and provides affiliated, off-site physicians with access to the HIPAA-compliant E-CLIPS. Memorial still uses paper records as a backup, and physicians still view tests, such as EKGs, on paper.
Memorial expects to have a reduction in the length of patient stays because of E-CLIPS, although no official studies have been completed, according to Tom Kerwin, CIO of Memorial (Johnson, Denver Post, 11/19).