Scripps Improves IT and Workflow Systems
Scripps Health’s information services department helps medical professionals make the best care decisions for patients by delivering data as efficiently as possible to the point of clinical decision-making-whether that is a patient’s bedside, a doctor’s office, the radiology lab or the operating room.
Using technologically advanced, patient-centric delivery systems, the Scripps electronic medical record (EMR) stores records by patient rather than by physician or hospital. In this manner, all information recorded on an individual patient is available in one place, regardless of where the care was provided.
Centralized Patient Data: The Next Stage
Scripps has been centralizing its patient data for several years in an EMR system, which enables authorized medical professionals to access patient data from anywhere across the Scripps system. In 2006 Scripps elected to upgrade its EMR program to the most current version of GE’s Centricity Enterprise solution. Scripps expects to go live with the new system at all of its hospitals in November.
Centricity’s enhanced information management capabilities will benefit patients and providers in a number of ways. The upgrade will improve nursing documentation of care, alert clinicians to medication errors or conflicts and support point-of-care bar coding for safer medication administration. Superior navigation will improve access, enabling caregivers to get the information they need more efficiently. And by moving to the most current platform, Scripps is positioning itself to readily receive future upgrades and enhancements.
Moreover, Scripps’ remote access capabilities provide secure encrypted access to its EMR systems for its 2,600 affiliated physicians from their offices, homes or any location with Internet access.
Multiple Sites, One Clinical Workflow
Paralleling the Centricity upgrade is Scripps’ systemwide standardization of key clinical workflow processes. This ensures that clinical processes at all Scripps facilities reflect best practices. The chief nurse executives at each Scripps hospital began developing this protocol for standardized processes last year, with the goal of disseminating ideal practices across the system to streamline clinical workflow and provide improved continuity of care during and after discharge. The Centricity application is being built in support of this standardized clinical care model, yet with the flexibility to allow for exceptions as needed.
EKGs Go Digital
Further enhancing information delivery at Scripps is the electronic dissemination of EKG records. Instead of being printed and placed in a patient’s chart with a paper copy sent to the cardiologist for interpretation, EKG results can now be instantly available to the cardiologist for interpretation and with secure online access to authorized clinicians as well. This allows for significantly faster results in support of efficient patient care.
The system is already in place at Scripps Green and Scripps Clinic and will be implemented across the Scripps system by this summer. A similar program has already been deployed for X-rays.
Scripps also is facilitating access to its information systems with a Single Sign-On (SSO) capability that enables users to log on to multiple systems by signing in just once, rather than having to enter a username and password for each. After a physician enters log-in data, systems for which he or she is authorized open automatically. Moreover, patient identification data is also transmitted to all authorized systems, so there is no need for the physician to search for the patient’s records on each system.
Improving Connectivity to Improve Communication
Scripps’ commitment to efficient data delivery is also reflected in its upgrade of core wide-area network (WAN) technology. Existing routers and switches are giving way to the newest technology for better connectivity, increased bandwidth that will speed up communication and the creation of redundancies to ensure business continuity should any point on the system go offline.
Scripps is also dramatically enhancing its wireless capabilities with improved coverage across the system and upgraded equipment that will allow more wireless devices to connect to the network, including laptops, smart pumps and other devices. Hospital patients and their families can be granted courtesy access to the Internet during their stay.