Southeastern Regional Medical Center's Migration to EMR Brings Improved Admissions, Clinical and Billing Efficiency
Hospitals manage an overwhelming amount of patient and medical data in caring for patients. And for those that rely on manual systems, access to that vital data can be painfully slow. The admissions process is time-consuming as the staff compiles necessary forms, labels and wristbands, relying on a cumbersome embossing system to identify each item. Patient records, progress notes and orders are not readily available to all who need them. Staff members often walk documents to the ER, lab or pharmacy to ensure they are transferred to where they’re needed. And billing is no more efficient. It may take weeks to index patient records before a bill can be issued.
The Solution
That is the scenario that Southeastern Regional Medical Center of Lumberton, North Carolina faced a few years ago. However, management at this 429-bed healthcare provider was determined to find a better way. Spearheaded by its Health Information Services (HIS) Director Betty Hall, the medical center made the decision to transition to electronic medical records (EMR). McKesson’s Horizon Patient Folder was the HIS system of choice, and SRMC selected Standard Register’s SMARTworks® Clinical Enterprise to pave the way to EMR. An integrated solution that combines bar code technology with forms automation software, the SMARTworks solution enabled the medical center to improve the flow of patient information through its delivery network and simplify indexing of all patient records.
Laying the Groundwork
To lay the groundwork for EMR implementation, Standard Register worked with
departments throughout the hospital — admissions, information systems, nursing, health information services, risk management and the business office — to audit SRMC’s documents and processes, and develop a blueprint for automating patient and clinical documentation. As a result of the audit, the medical center was able to consolidate its forms from 700 to some 400 documents.
Document automation was phased. SRMC first used SMARTworks Clinical Enterprise to produce the face sheet of the patient record, printing it with two bar codes — one with patient demographics and the other with information related to the specific admission. Then, as SRMC implemented its imaging system, it moved to electronic forms across the organization.
A New Way to Operate
Today, Southeastern Regional Medical Center has some 400 forms in its system
that are created and bar-coded on demand when and where they are needed.
Only a handful of preprinted forms are not automated, such as the large six-part, two-sided, fold-out form used in nursing. Forms, such as these, are labeled with a bar-coded sticker on front and back to facilitate easy indexing.
Less Paper, Greater Efficiency
Now as a patient is registered, the admissions staff generates the consent form
and the admissions form, which accompany the patient to his or her room. SMARTworks Clinical Enterprise automatically signals the printer nearest that room to begin printing all of the necessary forms. By the time the patient reaches the assigned floor, forms are printed and bar-coded labels created for those few forms that aren’t electronic, so the patient’s treatment can begin without delay.
Standard Register’s solution has introduced a new level of efficiency and control. “When we were in a paper world, we had stacks of loose documents that often didn’t get filed in a timely manner. If someone needed to locate one, the staff would have to sift through stacks of paper,” Hall recalls. “Today, there are no loose documents. Each and every document is printed on demand with the bar-coded information. The staff can just pull them off the printer and put them in the chart. The nurses love it.”
Improved Access to Data
Just as important, SRMC has improved access to patient data. Charts on patients treated in the ER yesterday are now available to physicians electronically by 9 a.m. Instead of having to search for everything, it’s right there at their fingertips. “Instead of having to make 100 trips a day to the Emergency Room to provide information, the ER staff can pull up the information themselves electronically. They don’t have to wait for it to be delivered,” Ms. Hall reports. “That couldn’t happen if we had to index each and every document manually. With all of our forms bar-coded, it simplifies indexing and helps assure quality control. That’s critical to us,” she stresses.
More Efficient Billing
Patient billing is much more efficient, too. Within 48 hours of discharge,
inpatient charts are electronic as well. That’s had a significant impact on accounts receivable. Ms. Hall reports that the medical center’s HIM hold days went from $4 million down to an average of $1.5 million within a year and a half of the system being implemented. “When McKesson came back for a post-installation audit, they were astounded by the productivity of the indexers. What had previously taken days, many times a week, was being accomplished in just two days,” she revealed.
The Bottom Line
Now In place for more than five years, Ms. Hall is well pleased with SMARTworks Clinical Enterprise. It’s been an important contributor to the success of Southeastern Regional Medical Center’s EMR system. She sums them up simply, “The system allows us to meet our mission of providing timely, accurate information to better care for our patients.”
For details about SMARTworks® Clinical Enterprise or to guidance in migrating from paper-based to electronic records, contact us now.