Electronic Medical Records

Electronic Medical Records Feature Story

The Second Time Around

Written by Thomas Mohr, M.D.

A California practice learns lessons from their first EMR and integrates their PM with a new, on-demand EMR for an improved bottom line and clinical workflow.

In 2000, I founded Pediatric Partners, which at the time was a single-site practice with three physicians located 60 miles northeast of San Diego. Like most small practices, Pediatric Partners found itself experiencing massive inefficiencies in our front and back office operations. At the time, we were using an outside billing company and our legacy practice management (PM) system was presenting constant staff issues dealing with insurance verification, accurate patient demographics and patient scheduling.

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Transforming Healthcare

Written by Gregory Veltri

A top U.S. hospital implements CPOE and improves patient safety while dramatically reducing turn-around time.

Denver Health and Hospital Authority (Denver Health) ranks in the top 5 percent of U.S. Hospitals in terms of size and provides care for more than 160,000 individual patients — one out of every four people in Denver. The organization comprises a 500-bed hospital, a 911 medical response system, a network of family and school-based health centers, as well as, public health resources, a Level 1 trauma center, the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, a correctional care facility, and Denver Cares, a non-medical detoxification center. Thirty-five percent of Denver’s children use Denver Health facilities, and patients from every county in Colorado, in addition to 28 other states, receive care at Denver Health’s facilities.

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How Do I Find Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

Written by Adrian Jennings

There’s more than one way to locate people and objects in hospitals. The best choice depends on the need.

Real-time location systems (RTLS) have become common in today’s hospitals, surgical centers and nursing homes, resulting in cost savings and improved efficiency. From finding key assets in the ED, to optimizing patient flow, to automated billing, RTLS can deliver real benefits across an organization.

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The Fire Next Time

Written by E. Victor Brown, Senior Editor

Sharp HealthCare’s effective use of an ambulatory EHR during the California wildfires meant uninterrupted healthcare for displaced patients and clinicians.

Catastrophic events affecting thousands, such as last fall’s California wildfires, may be the truest indicator of how electronic health records (EHR) are helping to transform patient care. That was the experience of San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare, an integrated regional healthcare organization that includes four acute care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, three medical groups and a number of other facilities and services.

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Extreme Makeover

Written by Robert Redding

An open-architecture document management solution helps a provider reduce expenses and improve member benefits.

At Health Net Inc., we strive to make our members and customers a top priority. Based in Woodland Hills, Calif., Health Net provides health benefits to approximately 6.5 million individuals in 27 states as well as the District of Columbia through group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE programs. Additionally, Health Net’s subsidiaries offer managed healthcare products related to behavioral health and prescription drugs, as well as managed healthcare product coordination for multi-region employers and administrative services for medical groups and self-funded benefits programs.

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Electronic Medical Records