October 25, 2007 – MEDHOST, provider of emergency department information systems (EDIS), said this week Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Northridge, CA implemented its full-suite software to simplify patient registration, increase emergency department efficiencies, and improve patient safety and care.
Northridge, the flagship hospital of Catholic Healthcare West, a 42-hospital system, said it chose MEDHOST to automate its ED because of its user-friendly touch screen, intuitive design and flexibility in customization. MEDHOST’s easy-to-use technology will ensure more thorough and complete documentation, automate compliance with regulatory guidelines and improve financial return with real-time charge capture.
“After narrowing our search to three vendors, it became critical to involve our staff – from the administrative side to clinical and IT – in the selection process. When polled, 16 of the 18 panel members said that MEDHOST was their first choice, because of the intuitive tracking board and speed at which documentation can be completed,” said Dr. Stephen Jones, ED medical director at Northridge. “In addition, MEDHOST gives us the ability to customize the system to meet our unique needs, enabling the MEDHOST system to ‘speak Northridge.’”
MEDHOST’s Administrative ToolKit enables Northridge to quickly and easily make modifications to existing system documentation templates so that Los Angeles County’s unique trauma care regulations are met, allowing Northridge to be compliant while effectively treating its patients.
“We are already seeing a drastic change in the completeness of documentation since going live with MEDHOST. We are capturing things that were previously going undocumented, including procedures where nurses assist physicians and how long IV pumps are infusing,” said Barb Payne, director of emergency services.
Northridge will use MEDHOST’s auto-paging feature to enhance communication between departments. Once physicians push the discharge button in MEDHOST, registration will be paged to ensure that necessary insurance information is obtained prior to a patient leaving. In addition, housekeeping will automatically be alerted to clean the vacated room.
For more information: www.medhost.com