Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Special Outpatient Surgery Edition - Hot Technology - April 2017

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 3 7 flow, documentation efficiencies and patient safety. Count the initially resist- ant staff at St. John Macomb-Oakland among the converted. "Even the most die-hard holdouts among us agree that we never want to go back to paper," says Ms. Borello-Barnett. Designed with users in mind Improved interfaces mean EMR systems are allowing for computer-guided workflow. Think chronological views of a patient's record, swipe-through options that limit the need for scrolling and drag-and-drop options that limit the need for clicking. In other words, interfaces are increasingly built to feel like a commercial app. And they're increasingly built to work on familiar screens, like a tablet or smartphone. Some are cloud-based, meaning your data is safe in the event of a server breakdown. This increased usability allows for greater customization. For example, the lat- est platforms provide more flexibility when creating a user dictionary, which determines how information is categorized and stored. Additionally, when look- ing at data in a spreadsheet, users are increasingly able to adjust column heights and widths to their preference. During documentation, exam fields are automatically filled, using info gath- ered during patient registration. Some stats (like vital signs) don't need to be gathered at all; they can be downloaded automatically from patient monitors that interface wirelessly with newer EMR systems. Systems are even pro- grammed to remember a clinician's exact and preferred wording for things like dosing and treatment instructions. Some newer EMRs also make it possible to customize checks and balances. For instance, you might program a chart so that it won't advance without the surgical team first documenting that the pre-op time out took place or won't close out unless they've checked off the final steps of a procedure, including the logging of start and end times. Previously, if this information was missed, the charge entry person might have to spend time tracking down a nurse, consulting an anesthesia

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