Electronic Working Chart

On July 28, 2009, we kicked off a new project at The Medical Center of Aurora called Print Minimization. We're giving paper the boot! Well, at least some of it, that is. In a few months we will no longer be printing hard copies of the documents often found in the working chart and post-discharge medical record:

• Vital signs
• Intake and Output
• Capillary blood glucose
• Pain assessment
• Patient notes
• Rounds reports

Instead of heading to the paper chart to find this information, you'll check MEDITECH PCI for your patient's most current vital signs, I/Os and so on.

If you're not quite familiar with using MEDITECH PCI, we can show you how. Please schedule a quick one-on-one meeting with our Information Technology staff members Peggy Newman @ 303-873-5658 or Anne Smith @ 303-873-5785 to learn more.

If you are already using MEDITECH PCI to view this information from the chart, then you are ready for the transition to the new process.

So, why change our printing habits?

An Electronic Health Record, or EHR. Have you heard that HCA is developing an enterprise-wide electronic health record that will be implemented in stages over the next several years? One way to begin moving toward an electronic health record is to gradually begin using our clinical systems, such as MEDITECH, and other technologies more and printing less. In fact, one of the primary goals of the Print Minimization project is to stop printing a few pieces of information from the working chart and post-discharge medical record and begin relying on MEDITECH for this information instead.

Cost savings. You have heard it before, but printing costs us all money in both time and materials. By reducing printing costs, we can focus facility resources on other things that improve patient care and your satisfaction. It also reduces the amount of storage space and time spent looking for paper files.

Schedule
Rollout discussions began on July 28, 2009. "Go Live" at TMCA will begin immediately following the successful parallel testing at PSL and Rose. Updates on the progress of the project will be forthcoming.

Questions?
If you have questions about the Print Minimization efforts here at our facility, feel free to contact Amy Guerra, HIM Director at 303-695-2752 or Lea Kurlinski, IT Director at 303-695-2956.