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Centralized Database
When James Ruffer, M.D. came to Advocate Healthcare as the
Medical Director of Good Shepherd Hospital, everyone on the team understood the need for a
record and verify system. All of the other physicians in the
multi-site, networked group had worked
previously in large academic institutions or multi-center
organizations and recognized the value of having a centralized
database for the hospital network. “There are 12 physicians in
our group, working from
four hospitals running off a Citrix server,” he explained. “The
ability we have to access information from
any site or other
remote locations gives us tremendous flexibility,” he said.
Streamlined Work Flow
Of those four facilities, three are filmless and two are
paperless, helping to further reduce the time spent looking for
films and charts. “The greatest thing about having IMPAC is that
it helps to eliminate the frustration and grumbling of lost
charts, missing forms, and flipping through mounds of paper to
find what you need. Plus, without it, you can’t even think about
doing MLC or IMRT,” he explained. “From research perspective,
it’s also an excellent source of data and statistics.”
Managing Clinical Trials
According to Dr. Ruffer, one of the most helpful developments
from IMPAC has been the integration of RTOG forms into the IMPAC
system. “It’s been a very useful tool for us, and we only put
about 8 patients per year on trials,” he said. “I can only
imagine how it would help facilities putting on 50-100 patients
per year.”
Worthwhile Learning Curve
Of course, it always takes time to implement and learn a new
system. But for Dr. Ruffer and the staff at Good Shepard, the
key was getting a commitment from the information services team.
“We’re in a nice spot now that we have a person in IS who
oversees the project,” he explained. “Although there’s a
learning curve to implementation, once you have it down, it’s an
unbelievable time saver across the department,” he said. “It’s
like moving from New York to Chicago and being skeptical about
the change. Once you make the move – you realize, not only do
you like it, you love it and couldn’t live anywhere else.”
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James Ruffer, MD
Good Shepard/Advocate Healthcare, Barrington, IL
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[Email
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