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system, which sends automatic tasks — digital to-do lists — to the
appropriate staff member based on the information that's been filled
out. So, for example, staff know which patients need a follow-up
phone call. If a corneal implant was used, the billing staff receives an
alert to code and bill the case. If an IOL is needed at a higher power
than they have on consignment, the materials manager receives an
alert. Based on which staff member is assigned a particular job duty,
the software sends a line item to that person's workflow, similar to an
e-mail inbox. "It tells the patient's name and what's being requested of
them and the due date," says Ms. Teeter. The task alert turns red if the
item's not done by the due date. As the manager, Ms. Teeter can see
who has accepted or declined tasks, and which have been reassigned.
"I knew it was there, but I didn't visualize using it in the manner in
which we're using it today," she says. "It's a pretty slick workflow."
Ms. Teeter attended a week-long template editing course sponsored by
her EMR software company, learning the ins and outs of the EMR system and what it's capable of. "It was extremely beneficial," she says.
Can your EMR automatically download patient vitals from monitors directly into the system? "It only takes one time to show how
efficient it is to automatically download a full set of patient vitals
from a monitor, as opposed to manually entering the data, to show
why this is one of the most rapid ROIs in a well-designed EMR,"
says an industry insider. "Unfortunately, many of the EMRs on the
market today do not offer this functionality."
What about computerized physician order entry (CPOE)? Once a
physician approves his orders, the EMR will automatically check all
planned medication use against patient allergies and current patient
medications for any contraindications. The use of CPOE will provide
an efficient way for nurses to receive those instructions, confirm compliance of those instructions and document all actions to fulfill those