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Halifax Health Goes Paperless:

Electronic Medical Record Will Enhance Safety, Reduce Costs

Healthcare reform is on everyone’s mind. Part of the process is computerizing health records.

An electronic medical record (EMR) allows for a paperless workflow in your doctor’s office, lab and hospital. It means that all documents, charts and archives — even your x-ray or mammogram images — are stored digitally.

Among its benefits, an EMR:

• Gives doctors and other providers immediate access to your health records, saving precious time in an emergency
• Stores all health information securely, protecting patient privacy
• Reduces the risk for medical errors
• Saves money for patients and providers
• Enhances quality of care

The nation’s leaders have made implementing an EMR a goal of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But Halifax Health is ahead of the game and is already on the way toward a paperless workflow.

Halifax Health Among Country’s Leading Hospitals

For years, officials and medical personnel at Halifax Health have been working toward an EMR and have already added:

• Bedside medication verification, which confirms a patient’s identity and prescriptions before any medicine is given, reducing the risk for errors
• A patient care system that creates automated work lists, so providers can document care as they provide it
• An electronic ambulatory patient record in certain departments, which tracks a patient’s medical history, checks for interactions among a patient’s prescriptions and more
• Scanning and archiving of patient files, so physicians may view a patient’s complete medical history electronically
• Electronic management of the operating room schedule, which enhances patient flow and improves care

“At Halifax Health, we are committed to remaining an industry leader in the adoption of an electronic medical record,” said Jeff Feasel, President and CEO. “We will continue to invest in the necessary technology to make our clinical staff more efficient and effective, and in doing so provide better patient care.”

In addition to the benefits for patients, an EMR will create a more efficient workplace for Halifax Health employees. What’s more, Medicare and Medicaid incentives for health information technology could result in significant reimbursements for facilities that are successful in implementing an EMR.

Seven Steps Toward an EMR

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, a non-profit that collects and analyzes healthcare data, has identified eight stages in the implementation of an EMR. In ascending order, beginning at zero, each stage marks a new milestone in information technology.

Stage seven means that a healthcare system has fully adopted an EMR. Caregivers at all levels of care have access to electronic health information, whether they are on-site or at another facility.

A seamless transition requires a collaborative effort from everyone within a healthcare organization. While the focus is on technology, adopting an EMR requires collaboration among all staff members.

“From physicians and clinicians to executives and support staff, Halifax Health employees recognize the value of an electronic medical record,” said Lori DeLone, Chief Information Officer at Halifax Health.