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nology to work smarter, not harder."
Blowing past
the paper trail
With the latest EMR systems, multiple users can access patients' charts immedi-
ately and simultaneously at any time of day or night, and on a variety of devices.
Some platforms expedite the admit process by letting patients enter registration
information through secure online portals from the comfort of home.
Improvements to benchmarking applications let facilities easily track how many
cases started on time, how many started late and the reasons behind any
holdups. (Was the patient delayed? Was a piece of equipment missing?) A nurse
simply enters a code linked to the reason for delay, and that information is
logged into the system, so that trends can be readily identified. Likewise,
turnover times are
easily catalogued.
"We're able to see how long it takes a particular surgeon to perform, say, a knee
arthroscopy, so we can schedule with more accuracy," says Joshua Sheridan, RN,
the OR manager at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, Calif.
"While you can
end up with information overload, this function is helpful if you want to put a laser
focus on a specific issue."
Additionally, the option for billing system integration is a time-saving measure.
Info on everything that's used for a procedure is automatically transferred to a
patient's charge, a process that decreases the potential for human error and
increases billing accuracy. This automatic documentation also makes life easier
for the materials management team, who can easily pull this information to see
how much of a certain supply is being used.
"The biggest benefit of an EMR is that it lets you make intelligent business
decisions," says Ms. Vande Leest. "This type of data gathering can help deter-
mine whether it's feasible to bring in new or more types of cases."
