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SMH lauded for technology |
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Friday, 11 July 2008 |
Electronic health records improvement nets commendationElectronic health records improvement nets commendation
Saline Memorial Hospital is being commended for its technological improvements.
E-MDs, a business that develops and implements electronic health records, “applauds Saline Memorial Hospital in Benton for the successful establishment of a community health information exchange,” states a company news release.
The program is being operated through e-MDs’ EHR Solution Series, which establishes a digital database of patient medical information for sharing within the hospital and ambulatory network.
A benefit of the program is better quality care for patients by providing a unified health information system accessible by hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and labs. Costs for the both the patient and provider also are reduced.
Dr. Michael Stearns, president of e-MDs, said, “Saline County will take giant steps in enhancing the quality of care, inevitably cutting cost and saving valuable time often lost in paper records.”
Dr. Misty Nolan with Central Pediatric Clinic in Benton said the software has been well-received.
“Since implementing e-MDs software in mid-May for scheduling, billing and electronic documentation, we are already seeing efficiencies,” she said. “Our ability to access patient records while on call, electronically process prescriptions and streamline the referral process for specialty care has enhanced patient care.
“Although we are still in the early stages, we feel it has been worth the 18 months of planning and will continue to expand our use of this system.”
Up to 85 percent of the up-front cost of EHR implementation is being subsidized by SMH, while the remaining 15 percent and necessary hardware is the responsibility of the practice. The exchange reportedly has more than 25 offices with additional users expected to come online in the near future.
“As the size of our community health information exchange grows, the quality of health care in Saline County will follow,” said Shawn Shuffield, chief information officer at SMH. “Our community has a solid partner in this endeavor in e-MDs.
“With the significant challenges often discussed in the electronic health record industry, e-MDs offers the ease of use and flexibility to encourage adoption by all of our practices.”
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