Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, which owns five hospitals in southeast Wisconsin and three in Iowa, will invest more than $61 million over the next three years to adopt a McKesson electronic health record system, the Business Journal of Milwaukee reports.
The EHR system will improve patient safety, reduce errors and increase efficiency, according to Wheaton officials. The system also is expected to save the hospital nearly $25 million annually once it goes live.
The EHR system will create a database for each patient's chart, and health care providers will be able to access and edit the charts from any location.
"There's going to be greater coordination of care, and there's not going to be duplication," said Greg Thompson, spokesperson for UnitedHealthCare of Wisconsin, which pays medical bills incurred by many Wheaton patients.
The transition to the EHR system is scheduled to be complete in 2009, the Business Journal reports (Fischer, Business Journal of Milwaukee, 1/19).