MEDHOST, a provider of emergency department information system (EDIS), strengthened its interoperability with hospital information systems (HIS) by introducing a unique, discrete patient data sharing capability.
Patient information recorded in the ED, including medication allergies, initial admission assessment and home medications, can now serve as an information baseline once a patient is admitted, thereby eliminating data re-entry, decreasing medical errors and ensuring continuity of care.
Stanly Memorial Hospital in Albermarle, NC, and Conway Medical Center in Conway, SC, are two of the first hospitals to share discrete patient data between their MEDITECH HIS and MEDHOST; both hospitals report improved patient safety, satisfaction and clinical workflow.
“MEDHOST modified its content to match our MEDITECH HIS so that we could share the complete admit assessment between the systems, including immunization history, past medical history, past surgical history, and recreational drugs, tobacco and alcohol use,” said Brian Freeman, vice president of diagnostics and information technology at Stanly Memorial Hospital. “Sharing discrete patient data has removed redundant questioning and data gathering by clinicians, speeding the delivery of care and enabling our inpatient nurses to start care at a more in-depth level. This has improved clinical workflow, streamlined communication and heightened patient safety.”
“Sharing discrete patient data between MEDHOST and MEDITECH has improved chart accuracy and patient safety, which helps to ensure compliance with The Joint Commission’s requirements,” said Steve Lanning, director of emergency services at Conway Medical Center. “We are required to obtain certain information for the patient record, and with MEDHOST, we can set up mandatory fields that prompt clinicians if this information isn’t gathered. Prior to this integration, floor nurses had to repetitively ask patients for information, but now they can simply verify data.”
MEDHOST developed its discrete data interface to remove a major information-sharing barrier common to hospitals today.
MEDHOST currently serves more than 160 facilities, including the Baylor Healthcare System in Texas, Catholic Healthcare West in California, Catholic Health System in New York, and Tenet Healthcare Corporation. MEDHOST is the preferred EDIS provider of VHA Inc., a national cooperative serving more than 2,400 not-for-profit healthcare organizations. In addition to MEDITECH, MEDHOST easily integrates with other leading hospital information systems, including Cerner, Siemens and McKesson.
May 2008