CENTERVILLE —
Rather than thumbing through a folder filled with paper records, staff and physicians in Centerville will soon be clicking into a computer to record patients’ medical information.
Mercy Medical Clinic – Centerville Director Brenda Hostetler and the Mercy clinic physicians and staff are just weeks away from a major shift in how they document patient care. The change to electronic health records is an important step in Mercy’s and Catholic Health Initiatives’ plan to implement a common electronic record for patients.
On Dec. 5, the Ambulatory Electronic Health Record system goes in for staff and physicians to document a patient’s care electronically. Des Moines’ Mercy clinics were the first clinics in CHI nationwide to implement the AEHR and most of them have been working in the system for a minimum of six months; some are well into their second year.
The AEHR makes patient information instantly accessible to every provider and clinician in Mercy Clinics who is involved in a patient’s care — from clinic to hospital, lab and pharmacy. Centerville physicians on the system also will be able to electronically collaborate with their Mercy – Des Moines colleagues when a patient is referred to Des Moines.
According to Hostetler they are very excited to enter this next phase of patient care with Ambulatory Electronic Health Records.
“We know that having immediate access to patients’ records will not only improve their overall quality of care — but also allow our providers to spend more time with our clientele. Patients’ can feel confident that their health information will always be up to date; knowing that their complete hospital and physician clinical notes are now all in one place,” she stated.
Both staff members and physicians will receive up to 16 hours of training to learn the electronic health record system. Hostetler did acknowledge that they are allowing more time in physician schedules to accommodate the training period.“There may be some inconvenience to patients during the initial weeks of the transition, so we hope everyone can bear with us. I’m confident that in the long run, patients will be better served,“ she added.
“There’s definitely a learning curve that everyone has to go through, and everyone makes the transition at a different pace.” says Ben Gaumer, D.O., the Iowa regional chief medical informatics officer, who is based at Mercy in Des Moines. He says physicians in Des Moines, Nebraska and Kentucky, where the AEHR is now operating, are adapting well to using the AEHR system. “Generally, we’re seeing that by about the third or fourth week, most are able to master using the system.”
In November the clinic switched to an electronic physician practice management system that computerized all patient billing and insurance information. Mercy – Centerville Clinic was the first among the 60 Mercy clinics to institute the electronic practice management system.
Community News Network
Mercy – Centerville Clinic gearing up for first OneCare implementations
- Community News Network
-
-
Twitter introduces website security tool after AP account hacked
Twitter is adding a new security tool to its website, making it harder for outsiders to gain access to accounts, a month after a false posting triggered a stock-market decline.
-
Siblings withstand storm in fridge
Brother and sister co-owners of a Chinese takeout restaurant huddled inside a refrigerator to survive Monday’s deadly tornado that claimed 24 lives.
-
Mom delivered baby as tornado struck
Shayla Taylor was so far along in labor that her nurses at Moore Medical Center decided not to move her when Monday's tornado hit. They waited out the storm in an operating room, where the wall disappeared as the tornado hit the building.
-
TIMELAPSE: Take a tour through the damage in Moore
Take a driving tour of the damage in Moore caused by Monday's tornado.
-
Mayor wants tornado shelters in new homes
Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis wants tornado shelters in all new homes in his city, where an EF-5 tornado damaged or destroyed more than 12,500 homes Monday afternoon. A proposed ordinance would require a shelter inside or outside each new residence.
-
AUDIO: Residents share their tornado experiences
Moore, Okla., residents talk about living through Monday's EF-5 tornado.
-
In fan fiction, your favorite characters do what you want them to
When J.J. Abrams took over the "Star Trek" franchise in 2009, he boldly went where the series hadn't gone before — romantically — pairing Uhura with Spock. Many fans disliked the change. Some loved it. Others didn't care, because they just wanted to see Kirk and Spock make out.
-
VIDEO: Orlando shootout tied to Boston bomb suspect
The FBI says it was involved in a fatal shooting near Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. CBS News senior correspondent John Miller reports that the victim was a friend of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older brother suspected in the Boston Marathon bombing.
-
Okla. officials vow not to quit looking until everyone is found
The tornado that killed 24 people and injured at least 100 others in the Moore and Oklahoma City area cut a 17-mile-long path that started in Newcastle and ended at Lake Stanley Draper. Nine of the dead are children.
-
Photos: Aftermath of massive tornado in Moore
Storm victims were pulled from the rubble and residents began surveying the damage late Monday and early Tuesday in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, where a powerful tornado destroyed entire neighborhoods and left dozens dead.
- More Community News Network Headlines
-
Obama Offers Drone Strike Defense
Raw: Heckler Interrupts Obama on Guantanamo
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: 80-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Wash. State Man Arrested Following Ricin Scare
Chain-Reaction School Bus Crash Injures About 50
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Texas Students Coach Teachers on Fitness
New Forecasting Tool Eyed for Hurricane Season
Meet MJ, the Bike Riding Tabby Cat
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Raw: Kevin Durant Tours Moore After $1M Pledge
Man Shot While Questioned in Boston Probe
Weiner Launches Bid to Become NYC Mayor
School Storm Protection Spotty in Tornado Zones
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
