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Searching for a Comprehensive Database
In 1995, when two physicians established the medical oncology
center now called Western Washington Oncology (WWO), their
mainframe-based billing and scheduling software lacked charting
or clinical features. By the close of 2000, they added four more
sites and a new system was essential. Today, seven oncologists
rotate among five centers, none working at the same site two
days in a row.
Continuity of care is important to cancer patients, so they are
allowed to use any site, sometimes having treatment at one site,
sometimes at another. “Getting patient and chart at the same
place and same time was a nightmare, sometimes involving faxing
entire charts back and forth,” explained Craig Wyzik, IT
manager. For a year, Wyzik and Melody Edgington, practice
administrator, researched solutions. According to Wyzik, they
were unaware of any oncology-specific system but “what we kept
hearing was ’you should look at IMPAC; it’s the only one to
use.’”
Immediate Rewards
When the team from WWO visited a facility using IMPAC, they had
so many recommendations for the software that they searched for
a reason not to acquire it. They found none. By May 2002, WWO
had implemented the system and had completed demographics and
scheduling pieces at all sites. The reward was immediate: using
IMPAC’s medical oncology software to maintain one comprehensive
database instead of six separate ones reduced maintenance time
by 80%, with all patient data accessible at all sites.
Efficiency is also improved by equipping nurses with Dell™
Centrino™ wireless laptops that let them key patient data
directly into their electronic medical records (EMRs). Data is
recorded in a single step; there’s no waiting for nurses to key
their written notes into a computer; and EMRs can be accessed
via wireless laptops everywhere at WWO.
Complete Charge Capture
When the system receives lab results, it interfaces with WWO’s
billing software. Previously, nurses entering orders for
oncology therapeutics network (OTN) drugs from Lynx machines had
receipts eventually turned over for manual billing. Today,
thanks to IMPAC’s Lynx interface, when nurses retrieve OTN
drugs, charges are automatically entered into the system. Every
drug charge is captured, and the time it takes for doing so is
hugely reduced.
Planning a Future with IMPAC
WWO now charts vital signs and progress notes in the EMR and
is
talking about eliminating chemo and lab copies as well as
scanning third-party paper such as path reports for EMR
inclusion. Concludes Wyzik, “We have made the commitment to IT
infrastructure, since we will increasingly use IMPAC to
streamline operations, enhance patient care, and safeguard
revenue.
Once you experience IMPAC benefits, you can’t afford to
be without them.” |
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Western Washington Oncology, Olympia, WA
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[Email
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