Streamlined EHR Software Implementation Process
As the newest outpatient facility in Orange County, California, Orange Coast
Memorial Medical Center is a 162,000 square foot modern facility that
delivers the latest diagnostic and treatment options to a major metropolitan
community. It is also one of six leading hospitals in the MemorialCare
Health System, a not-for-profit patient care system that is widely recognized
to be an innovator in providing quality health care. Ranked in the Top 100
Integrated Healthcare Networks nationwide and distinguished by Hospitals
& Health Networks® to be a leading hospital organization for technology in
their annual ‘Most Wired Hospitals 2011’ survey, MemorialCare Health
System has over 1,500 beds, more than 10,000 employees and a medical
staff of over 2,300.
In a time of immense challenges and unprecedented opportunities for
hospitals around the country to adopt Electronic Health Records (EHR) by
2015 and be fully compliant with the numerous government mandates
stipulated in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical
Health (HITECH) Act, which was enacted as part of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009, MemorialCare Health System strengthened
its commitment to leading the health care revolution through innovation by
being an early adopter of EHR.
Investing significant capital and human resources, Orange Coast Memorial
Medical Center was one of the first hospitals in Orange County to launch a
fully integrated EHR system. The selection of an enterprise-wide EHR
software solution is a major undertaking that defines a hospital’s future
clinical processes for many years. Strategically it requires analysis of, and
change to, the underlying clinical information workflow processes and the
development of a new infrastructure that guarantees the delivery, privacy
and security of critical patient data. Each EHR system has different data
format specifications and may use the available standards differently.
Consequently, device connectivity and interoperability is essential in order to
be able to adapt easily and exchange information in the right format from
one system to another.
One of the primary challenges for Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center
was to ensure its EHR software system connected seamlessly to other
devices in its information infrastructure and met its high standards for
utilizing technology that will enable the hospital to share secure medical
records between all care providers and the patient.
Right from the start, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center turned to
AUXILIO, the only health care exclusive Managed Print Services (“MPS”)
company in the U.S. and MemorialCare Health System’s partner since
2003, to be an integral member of the project team and help develop a
comprehensive EHR implementation strategy. AUXILIO designated a
full-time, on-site Resident Team comprised of document management
workflow and process efficiency experts to provide 24/7 support and design
practical solutions for EHR that are customized and interoperable. After a
thorough RFP discovery process, the team selected Epic, a fully electronic
and integrated medical records system that provides multiple utilities for
medical practitioners in one patient-centric database.
Controlling, measuring and monitoring devices that share and distribute
patient information are the keys to successful e-communications in health
care. AUXILIO conducted a comprehensive audit of the hospital, evaluated
all components of its space and operation, created a detailed inventory of
all documentation, mapped the location of all equipment and delivered a
bullet-proof strategy to successfully integrate the hospital’s devices and
software constructively and ensure maximum connectivity and end-to-end
interoperability.
Controlling, measuring and monitoring devices that share and distribute
patient information are the keys to successful e-communications in health
care. AUXILIO conducted a comprehensive audit of the hospital, evaluated
all components of its space and operation, created a detailed inventory of
all documentation, mapped the location of all equipment and delivered a
bullet-proof strategy to successfully integrate the hospital’s devices and
software constructively and ensure maximum connectivity and end-to-end
interoperability.
Specifically, AUXILIO maximized efficiencies and streamlined Orange Coast
Memorial Medical Center’s print environment by overseeing the following
critical steps:
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Assessed and relocated devices for better workflow
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Ensured connectivity for multiple types and manufacturers of devices, especially legacy devices that did not have built-in network connectivity
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Tested all networked devices in order to identify and minimize printer down time
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Integrated the printing of Microsoft documents with the printing of EPIC's forms, which is managed by another software called VPSX
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Identified printer models that were compatible with EPIC and worked side by side with the vendor to test, certify and verify the location of all devices
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Properly label all printers for easy identification
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Planned and executed the hospital's equipment infrastructure expansion plan
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Reduced the hospital's original printer purchasing assessment from 60 to only five new devices, which resulted in significant savings
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Executed a primary and secondary redundancy plan for EPIC printers
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Entered all devices into AUXILIO's proprietary database management system for continuous volume monitoring and analysis
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Conducted technical dress rehearsal and provided around-the-clock coverage to ensure smooth implementation
Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center successfully implemented EHR in
March 2010.
“Having a managed print services partner is key. Their expertise in
document and print management and efficiency solutions were invaluable
and made this massive undertaking a much more manageable process
that enabled us to meet all of our EHR implementation goals,” said Scott
Raymond, Executive Director of Information Services for Orange Coast
Memorial Medical Center.
Simplicity in accessing information through a streamlined, interoperable
workflow process of hardware and software is a critical component of
AUXILIO’s MPS solutions. The hospital’s new state-of-the-art information
system guarantees the efficient delivery, privacy and security of critical
patient data, and puts best practice guidelines, decision support tools and
other safety checks at the caregivers’ fingertips.
As a result, staff is now better equipped to manage critical documentation
and advance patients, information and resources through the health care
continuum, and ultimately, improve its overall patient care and hospital staff
satisfaction.
Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center is now sharing medical information
seamlessly across a continuum of care in the quickest, most efficient
manner possible and both connectivity and interoperability with both its
physicians and patients is at an all-time high. The hospital’s early adoption
links it with an EHR user community that meets all federally required
meaningful use standards and allows the hospital to focus attention on the
next phase of its EHR strategy — partnering with physicians to install
ambulatory EHRs in their offices and fulfilling its vision of sharing secure
medical records between all care providers and the patient.