Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Launches Epic Electronic Medical Record Tools: Computerized Physician Order Entry and Electronic Documentation
Implementation of tools a huge success for improving quality of care and efficiency across the pediatric health care system
ATLANTA - June 2008 – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the country’s leading pediatric health care systems, successfully implemented computerized physician order entry this month, a major component of the organization’s electronic medical record (EMR) system. The new CPOE tools allow physicians, nurses and other clinicians to directly enter medication, respiratory and nursing orders themselves - expediting care and improving safety. In addition to knowing what medications a physician is ordering for his/her patient, Children’s pharmacists now see the child’s weight, medical condition, drug allergies and what other prescriptions the child is taking. Moreover, all of the information is legible because handwriting is no longer necessary.
“An electronic record is one of the best medical and technological advances in recent years because it helps teams of clinicians work collectively,” said Dr. James Jose, Director of Medical Informatics for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “It is a fantastic asset for gathering and understanding information, but most importantly, it brings caregivers together in a way that creates a more accurate and efficient team.”
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is implementing a robust and highly regarded EMR system developed by Epic Systems Corp. Children’s is one of only a few top-tier children’s hospitals to achieve a complete inpatient electronic record system. Other components of the EMR system Children’s has launched include nursing documentation, physician documentation, medication administration and the electronic tools Children’s pharmacy and radiology staff use to perform their day-to-day operations. The combination of these EMR tools improves quality of care across all service lines in several ways:
Eliminate handwritten information which helps prevent mistakes
Ensure complete records for the next care provider
Reduce transcription errors and standardize practices where appropriate
Automatically double-check medication orders for allergies, drug interactions and other incompatibilities
Enable physicians to securely access patient information as soon as it is entered, regardless of where they are located in the hospital or even if they’re logging in from their home, physician practices, or anywhere in the world
Allow employees and physicians to access the data simultaneously, including staff in other departments such as Pharmacy, Radiology and the Lab. This helps each health care professional do their job more quickly and effectively
Enable staff to access information from all patient visits to Children’s, regardless of the facility or past date
By 2010, Children’s plans to integrate its current EMR tools with several others that it will implement in various outpatient and specialty care areas. Each software application is built to share a single storage area combining patient charts, physician orders, clinical notes, pharmacy information and other data. This single-database approach improves the quality of patient care by strengthening communication between caregivers.
Children’s, Georgia Institute of Technology and EmoryUniversity are studying the impact these tools have on quality and safety at Children’s. For research and patient care, the EMR system is a platform for the future. Where progress has been frustrating for researchers and health care professionals worldwide, Children’s now has the ability to deliver care more quickly and efficiently.
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Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to enhancing the lives of children through excellence in patient care, research and education. Managing more than half a million patient visits annually at three hospitals and 15 neighborhood locations, Children’s is one of the largest clinical care providers for children in the country. Children’s offers access to more than 30 pediatric specialties, and has been consistently ranked among the top children’s hospitals by Child magazine and U.S.News & World Report. With generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children’s has made an impact in the lives of children in Georgia, the United States and throughout the world. Visit www.choa.org or call 404-250-KIDS for more information.