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Transitioning to Wireless EMR
Hinsdale Hematology Oncology Associates, Ltd. (HHOA) of
Hinsdale, Ill., switched from traditional paper records to the
advanced technology of wireless, mobile electronic medical
records (EMR) from IMPAC Medical Systems. At HHOA, the result of
implementing an EMR is improved patient and clinician
satisfaction, an increased patient load, and an elevated level
of process efficiency that has paid for itself within two years
of implementation.
Improved Patient Confidence
Michele White, practice administrator at HHOA, said that patient
confidence improved with the use of advanced technology, such as
PDAs and wireless laptop systems. “Our patients have noticed
that our medical documentation is complete, up-to-date, and
right at hand,” she said. The patients have more confidence in
our doctors, and have received more face-to-face interaction
time during their visits, she said. “We have a high standard of
care that we did not want to compromise, and with table PCs,
wireless laptops, and the Siemens PDAs—we have everything we
need to access lab reports, scheduling, and more.”
Return on Investment
HHOA provides services to 80-100 patients a day—an increase in
patient load since installing IMPAC. With 12 busy exam rooms and
only six physicians, they use IMPAC’s online transcription and
report management system to quickly and accurately document
patient encounters and manage them online. In addition, HHOA
uses a structured noting system for patient documentation within
the EMR. All incoming lab results are also downloaded into the
system via interface, and available from any laptop at the
practice, ensuring the patient record is complete, up-to-date,
and easily accessible to physicians and staff. “From an
administrative and economic perspective, our mobile access to
EMRs has meant that we did not need to purchase additional
antivirus software and miscellaneous upgrades. We’ve saved a lot
of money, while increasing efficiency, security, and
reliability,” White said.
Remote Access & Ease of Use
For six years, HHOA used pcAnywhere™ in the physician’s homes to
access the office. However, they have found remote access to the
EMR from IMPAC to be faster, more reliable, and readily
accessible from anywhere. There are six physicians on staff at HHOA, all with different technical knowledge, but “they are all
comfortable with IMPAC’s EMR,” White explained “They can get any
reports they need and print right through the system while they
are off-site. |
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Michele White, practice administrator, demonstrating remote
access to the EMR
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