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A higher level of care
K
www.kadlec.org
February
2012
KADLEC HEALTH SYSTEM,
which includes the medical center,
the 15 Kadlec Clinic locations,
Kadlec Neuroscience Center and other
Kadlec programs and services, recently
underwent a massive renovation project.
It was not a rework of buildings that one
usually thinks of in renovations, but was
instead a change of the infrastructure
that handles the information flow
within Kadlec.
At its heart is a new electronic
medical record (EMR) system.
Planning for this change began in
2009 when Kadlec leadership created
a vision for a seamless process for
scheduling, registration, data input and
clinical review of patient information
across all patient care encounters.
Initially, Kadlec’s Information Systems
department looked at options to
interface the various technologies being
used throughout Kadlec Health System.
“It became apparent we could not
provide a technical solution to match the
vision, nor was it financially feasible to
do it even if we could,” said Dave Roach,
Kadlec vice president of Information
Systems. “We began looking at totally
replacing our information systems. That
was a daunting task.”
It was daunting because over the
Major renovation of the electronic health record system now in place
years, Kadlec had relied on a number of
separate systems from different vendors
to meet clinical and administrative
needs, resulting in challenges, both
technical and cultural, around integration
and effectiveness.
“The transformation was going to be
more than just a replacement of systems
and automation of processes,” said
Roach. “It was about thinking of what
is best for our patients and the
organization as a whole and that means
change. Change is not always easy.”
After studying key vendors in the
EMR arena, Epic was chosen. The
company is recognized as the leader in
EMR systems; however it focuses on
providing its systems to mid-size and
large medical groups, hospitals and
integrated health care organizations.
“This was a unique opportunity for a
hospital our size, as Kadlec would be one
of Epic’s smallest customers,” said Roach.
Initial implementation work began
in October 2010. The system was rolled
out slowly, with Kadlec Clinic and
Kadlec Neuroscience Center going live
in August 2011 and the hospital going
live in November. The new application
suite called “K-Chart” is now available
for clinical users across the Kadlec
Health System.
One patient, one chart
Epic simplifies how information
about medical histories, medications,
test results and insurance is gathered
and shared within the Kadlec system,
creating a “one patient, one chart”
approach. It allows providers to
work from the same consolidated,
continuously updated electronic record,
creating real-time access to information
whether the patient is seen at a clinic,
in the emergency department, as
an inpatient or, in some cases, at a
community provider or specialist.
This means health care providers
have improved access to critical data
more easily and quickly.
It gives patients the ability to schedule
appointments, order medications, access
test results and other medical records as
well as email inquiries to physicians.
It has built-in cross checks (such
as flagging potentially dangerous drug
interactions) to help ensure patient
safety. Its electronic ordering eliminates
potential errors in transcribing
handwritten orders.
“It also helps Kadlec Health System
evaluate the quality of care we provide
across the entire system so we can
continually improve our care,” said
Roach.
An
Epic
transformation