AN UPGRADED CLINICAL
information sys-
tem rolled out in March is making it easier
and faster for physicians at Beaufort
Memorial Hospital to order tests, lab work
and prescriptions for their patients.
With the new Meditech 6.0, doctors
are able to access patient information in
a more user-friendly format, which also
allows for mobile and remote access to
patient information. Te doctors will also
be able to enter their orders electronically,
eliminating delays and possible misinter
pretation errors that can occur with
handwritten orders.
Safeguards built into the system also will
catch prescription errors, preventing doc-
tors from inadvertent medication errors or
adverse drug reactions in their patients.
“It cuts out the possible translation
errors and builds in safeguards for patient
care,” says BMH VP-CIO Ed Ricks. “Instead
of a unit secretary typing in the order, it
goes directly to the ancillary department,
expediting delivery and reducing the op-
portunity for mistakes.”
Embracing the information age
Tis summer, the hospital will begin phas-
ing in electronic charting. With this appli-
cation, doctors will be able to enter their
notes directly into the computer instead
of using phone dictation.
Te information will become part of
the medical records instantly, allowing
staf and other physicians to view the data
from any hospital computer.
Implementing the upgraded system
has taken months of planning and a
collaborative efort involving every depart-
ment in the hospital.
“We’re not building it in a vacuum,” Ricks
says. “We have 23 teams made up of doctors,
nurses, dietitians, physical therapists and
other staf members providing us with their
clinical expertise to ensure we have a clear
picture of what we need to accomplish.”
Pat Tompson, MD, is serving as the
doctors’ liaison, helping the hospital’s
information technology team develop
documentation and order forms to ft the
needs of each department. Physicians will
use these to fle their progress notes and
request medications, labs and tests.
“It’s important to get the doctors’ input
since they are the ones who are going to be
entering the clinical documentation and
orders,” says Dr. Tompson, an OB/GYN.
“We want it to be easy and more efcient
to use than the old system.”
Easier than ever before
Put into operation some 18 years ago,
the original Meditech system had been
updated over the years, but remained
cumbersome and difcult to navigate.
Te new 6.0 version features a more in-
tuitive, user-friendly format. Every depart-
ment in the hospital, from admissions to
fnance, uses the technology.
Beaufort Memorial was one of the frst
hospitals in the country to go to the up-
graded 6.0 version, once again demonstrat-
ing the hospital’s commitment to stay at
the forefront of information technology; for
the past nine years, BMH has earned a spot
among the Top 100 Most Wired Hospitals.
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Where to
FIND US
Technology
Faster emergency care with electronic records
In 2009, the hospital upgraded its emergency department (ED) software to MEDHOST, a state-
of-the-art system that allows physicians and nurses to quickly document patients’ clinical
information, process orders and track down test results.
“It’s the best ED system out there,” BMH VP-CIO Ed Ricks says. “We’ve been using it for
18 months and it has done extremely well.”
Like Meditech 6.0, MEDHOST allows doctors to enter their patient notes electronically.
By having ready access to a patient’s medical history, healthcare providers can diagnose prob-
lems earlier, eliminate unnecessary or duplicative tests, and reduce errors.
ensures
patient safety
STAYING
CONNECTED
INSIDE AND OUT
Patient records aren’t the only
thing going online at Beaufort
Memorial. As one of the most
wired hospitals in our area, we
take pride in giving you more
ways to stay in touch with us
than ever before.
Pat Tompson, MD, is
helping the information
technology team develop
documentation and forms.
16
Health Scene • www.bmhsc.org