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Moving
Towards a 'Paper-Light' Environment: Humber River Regional
Hospital Implements Scanning and Archiving Previously challenged by paper documents
hampering clinician workflow, the folks at Humber River
Regional Hospital (Toronto, Ontario) knew they needed to find
a way to improve access to clinical data in order to enhance
quality patient care. This was precisely the reason why
Humber chose to become an early adopter of MEDITECH's
Scanning and Archiving solution. "Scanning and Archiving has been a vital part of our integrated MEDITECH Health Care Information System, helping our three facilities as we strive to meet our long-term goals," states Alma Boyd, director of health information services at Humber. "We rely on the system to help us provide clinicians access to all available data, assist in the treatment decision-making process, and advance our electronic health record." |
On-Line
Data Provides Complete Legal Record, Improves Care Processes
Humber has been making great strides as they continue to work
toward achieving a "paper-light" environment. All
three facilities access patient records through one on-line
patient database.
"The MEDITECH system allows staff to view on-line patient information,
including clinical documentation such as lab, radiology, and transcribed
physician reports," says Boyd. "All data is viewable through our Patient
Care Inquiry."
Currently, Scanning and Archiving is LIVE within the
Emergency Department at Humber's Finch Avenue and Church
Street sites; however, providers can view scanned documents
at all three locations. The organization has been archiving
data as well. Archived information includes lab results,
orders, pharmacy information, radiology transcribed reports,
and departmental transcribed reports. "The ability to
archive this information provides the organization with a
complete and legal record," says Rosemary Mulock,
information systems analyst at Humber.
In addition, Humber has been using Scanning and Archiving to
achieve the following:
Bridge the gap between the paper and electronic data, making information immediately available to caregivers
Reduce the clerical effort in the Health Information Services (HIS) department, in particular, eliminating filing and having to pull emergency visit paperwork
Standardize forms across all facilities
Reduce the cost of forms production
Reduce the time it takes to release information
Improve the work environment for clerical staff in the HIS department
Evaluate workflow processes and make necessary improvements.
Ensuring
a Successful Implementation
The ambitious Scanning and Archiving implementation began
with an introductory meeting at MEDITECH, followed by the
organization of key players at Humber. The organization's HIS
department formed a small implementation team consisting of
the HIS director, the clerical supervisor of HIS, an
information systems analyst, and the information systems
senior technologist.
The team met weekly, completing an implementation plan and
timeline. Members also created a communication plan outlining
milestones for product rollout, and routinely consulted with
clinical staff.
As with all successful implementation projects, gaining buy-in
from all levels of the organization played an important role.
"We were able to move forward with our goals in a short
period of time because of our cohesive team," states
Mulock. "We had great support from our senior team and
buy-in from users."
Additionally, Humber benefited from a team approach with
MEDITECH. "Our MEDITECH application consultant was very
helpful during the application training and pushed for
resolutions of issues we had identified. It showed that
MEDITECH was very supportive of our goals," says Mulock.
Forms
Committee Key to Getting Organized
In addition to creating an implementation team, Humber also
refocused their traditional Forms Committee. Championed by
the HIS director and the director of logistics and purchasing,
the committee's new role included supporting the introduction
of new standards for forms development, production, and
control. The committee conducted a facility-wide inventory
and hired a third party vendor to collect all forms at every
site, unit, and floor.
The Forms Committee was responsible for reviewing each and
every form for usage, version, content, and consolidation.
"It was a daunting task," notes Boyd. "However,
the decisions made by directors 'to clean up the house' were
supported by senior management."
The implementation team worked very closely with the Forms
Committee to ensure documents would be assigned the proper
form identification required for scanning. They developed a
naming convention for indexing the forms, a strategy to
convert existing documents, and a process to include any new
documents. Next, members catalogued an electronic inventory
of all forms within the organization, encompassing both the
clinical and administrative areas.
The Forms Catalogue has been pivotal in tracking and
systemizing documents throughout the organization. "By
using the MEDITECH dictionary conventions, staff members are
now able to control the assignment of bar codes. The Forms
Committee controls the introduction of new forms and the
elimination of historical forms as they become part of the on-line
record," explains Boyd.
Advancing
the Electronic Health Record, Improving Care
As Humber has made some noteworthy advancements, the
organization plans to continue rolling out Scanning and
Archiving in several phases, including both inpatient and
ambulatory care.
Perhaps most exciting, Humber is preparing to open a new,
state-of-the art facility in 2013. According to Boyd, "Implementing
Scanning and Archiving is an important step in preparing us
to move to our new acute care hospital, where reliance on
technology is expected to improve service delivery and
enhance the quality of patient care we provide to our
patients and their families."
MEDITECH
Medical
Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com