New Clinical Information System Helps Ensure Patient Safety

The Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert & Community Health (a partnership of Froedtert Hospital and Community Memorial Hospital of Menomonee Falls) have been working together for months to address the critical needs of their existing clinical technology systems. Currently the organizations use a variety of systems to register patients, schedule appointments and share vital data. Because these information systems have no common database, delays and errors in communication are hard to avoid. Medical and administrative staff must put extra effort into data collection to produce the effective outcomes considered mandatory by these outstanding medical facilities.

After intensive study, an enterprise-wide committee made up of representatives from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert & Community Health have agreed to sign on with Epic Systems of Madison, Wisconsin to provide a new state-of-the-art Clinical Information System. Epic Systems is considered a leader in information technology, particularly in the area of outpatient medicine. The company also has a strong record for following through with promised technology on schedule. In addition, the use of these products will give the Medical College and Froedtert & Community Health the opportunity to interface with other organizations that use Epic Systems.

The project is slated for completion in five years. It will integrate medical records, clinic scheduling, and information storage and retrieval; electronically link hospitals and clinics; and improve communications and information-sharing among members of the patient care team. Eventually, referring physicians will be able to monitor their patient’s progress from their offices because the system allows instant online access and updates of their patient’s treatment and status.

“This project demonstrates our commitment to quality care, partnerships, technological leadership, customer service and patient safety and does it within a secure system that safeguards each patient’s confidentiality,” said Rick Gillis, MD, Medical Director of Clinical Informatics at Froedtert & Medical College.

The preliminary implementation of the new technology during the next 18 months will:

• Increase access by physicians to shared clinical information
• Create a single registration and scheduling system for Froedtert & Medical College clinics
• Provide simpler, more efficient interaction between patients and staff
• Improve communications between clinical staff
• Assure security and privacy
• Reduce the possibility of errors
• Include a digital diagnostic imaging storage and retrieval system

During the next few months, clinical staff will use a simplified approach for locating records with Clinician Access, which will allow them to view real-time clinical results and patient listings for everyone registered in the system. In addition, the new Picture Archiving Communication System – which holds digital diagnostic images including X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and ultrasounds – will keep these tools available for immediate viewing by medical staff.

Over the course of the next 18 months Epic Systems will provide enterprise-wide registration and initiate a shared Clinical Data Repository that will make it possible to set up a full-fledged Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. The planned EMR system will incorporate all patient information into a master database with varying levels of access to ensure patient privacy; for instance scheduling staff and clinical personnel will only be able to view data relevant to their areas.

Robust information systems are crucial to maintaining the success of today’s health care organizations. The use of new, innovative systems technology will have an enormous impact on productivity, efficiency and patient safety at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert & Community Health.

Eileen Early, BA, BSN, RN
HealthLink Editor

MCW Health News presents up-to-date information on patient care and medical research by the physicians of the Medical College of Wisconsin.