Electronic Health Records
SSM Health Care is undertaking a $330 million transformation – from paper medical records to an electronic health record (EHR). The new EHR allows caregivers access to patient information at any time, from anywhere.
Patients can expect safer, faster care and more convenience. SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., became the first SSM hospital to go live with EHR in March. More and more physicians offices in the St. Louis area are being hooked up each month. And the EHR delivered at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, Wis., on May 31.
Up next: SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood, Mo., on Sept. 21; St. Clare Hospital & Health Services in Baraboo, Wis., Oct. 18; and SSM St. Joseph Health Center in St. Charles, Mo., Dec. 7.
"The long-term benefits of the electronic health record will be recognized at every level of SSM Health Care and, most importantly, by every patient who visits one of our hospitals," said Tom Langston, SSM Health Care chief information officer, of "Project Beacon."
More than 100 full-time staff have been dedicated to the project and more than 1,000 clinicians have been involved in the design. When the clinical portion of the project wraps up in 2010-11, EHR will be available on more than 13,000 computers at SSM facilities in Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma. Physicians will also be able to access the system through a secure, web portal from any Internet-capable computer.
Among its highlights, the EHR will:
- Allow doctors and nurses instant computer access to patient information no matter the caregiver’s location, eliminating reliance on paper records and saving precious time.
- Be secure, meaning only medical personnel involved in treatment can access the information.
- Automatically cross-check medications against other prescribed drugs, diagnoses and lab results, and suggest possible changes in treatment.
- Offer enormous savings in the use and cost of paper.
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