Less Paper, More Efficiency: Maury Regional Pursues Integrated Care Practices with Scanning and Archiving
(9/11/2008)

Health care organizations planning to implement MEDITECH's Client/Server 6.0 platform in the future are now undertaking a number of preparations to ensure the system reaches its full potential in making care safer and more cost-efficient. One important undertaking for these sites is installing MEDITECH's Scanning and Archiving product, a necessary component for maintaining a more complete electronic patient record. But how can hospitals prepare for Scanning and Archiving, and what benefits can they expect? Maury Regional Health Care System is one customer who can offer its success as a model for others.

"As a three-hospital system with 332 beds, we couldn't continue to rely on paper to meet our charting needs," says Doug Turner, CIO at Maury. "We had licensed MEDITECH's Client/Server system in order to move towards an environment which is as close as possible to paperless. Having a Scanning and Archiving solution which was integrated with our Advanced Clinicals was definitely paramount to us achieving that goal."

New Roles and Preparations for an Electronic Future
With a diverse staff, including a new HIM Director and a new CEO, leaders at Maury carefully considered how to sell the concept of an integrated HCIS to caregivers with varying degrees of I.T. experience. "Our Senior Leadership Team had no system conversion experience, so this project was uncharted waters for them," Turner says. "About one quarter of our physicians were technologically-savvy and very eager to go ahead with the new system, while the rest were a bit more cautious, but looking forward to being able to save time and see more patients. We knew we would need to help everyone feel comfortable with the changes."

One of the site's first tasks was to find a project coordinator who could help guide the progress of the implementation. "There's not many experienced consultants out there, but we hired one who knew that with the right amount of support, physicians could really be the ones to push this project forward," says Turner. "It was also important for HIM staff, not the I.T. department, to be held responsible for maintaining the integrity of the EMR. Having different departments throughout the organization vested in this project, or 'sharing the love,' was one of our keys to success."

The organization undertook a number of strategies to ensure a successful implementation, but one of the most important was getting control over their backlog of paper, and bar coding every form that existed in their organization. "You need to have tight control over your forms. If they're out of control, your Scanning and Archiving system will be as well," says Turner.

Staying Focused in the LIVE Environment
Once Maury's system went LIVE in July 2007, training and staff education became a major component to their I.T. plan, in order to keep the staff focused on their new roles and production goals.

"We offered numerous sessions for our physicians, including one-on-one training. We also made daily rounds in all areas of the hospital where scanning occurs," Turner says. "It definitely takes time to get used to scanning and deficiency assignment, about two to three months for everyone to get comfortable. There will always be some physicians who require more assistance to catch on to the new system, and you have to be available to help them, for as long as it takes—no excuses. You'll also need to document and communicate all of your policy changes, and be ready to adapt to unexpected needs from some caregivers or departments. No one should ever feel left behind."

The site also kept an ongoing list of issues while they adapted to the new processes. "Scanning and Archiving is a relatively young product, but MEDITECH has been great about listening to our workflow needs and making improvements when needed," says Turner.

Seeing the Fruits of their Labors
In the year since going LIVE with Scanning and Archiving, Maury Regional can boast some significant operational improvements of their own. "Since last July, all of our physicians have been using Electronic Signature, and our instances of lost charts have fallen into the single digits," says Turner. "Our deficiency rates have also dropped, from 40% down to the teens, and they're still plummeting."

The staff at Maury now scans inpatient charts within two days of patient discharge, while physician orders for outpatients are scanned at the point of service. "Our ED charts are also being scanned seven days a week by the HIM staff, resulting in next day service," says Turner. "The quality of our images has been outstanding, as well. And even our employee morale is up. No wonder why—we all have a lot more space to move around in since we've gotten rid of so much paper!"

Taking Success a Step Further
In the coming months, Maury Regional plans to cease printing in its Lab and Radiology departments, as well as go forward with their implementations of MEDITECH's Physician Care Manager and Bedside Verification products. They also intend to automatically interface documents from EKGs, Oncology, the Anesthesia Record, and Cath Lab into their HCIS.

"Our implementation of the Advanced Clinicals and Scanning and Archiving has certainly built the foundation for our physicians to make a smooth transition to digital documentation," says Turner. "The CIO can help the rest of the staff to adjust to going electronic, perhaps better than anyone else in the hospital. Now that we're LIVE with Scanning and Archiving, the important thing for us is to keep moving with our I.T. initiatives. We're always finding new ways to improve our workflow—they're out there if you want to find them."

 

MEDITECH
Medical Information Technology, Inc.
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781-821-3000
www.meditech.com