This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Premier Surgeon: Electronic health records boost efficiency in the ASC
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
 Linney Patton |
As more physicians implement electronic health record systems in their offices, it is important to also keep in mind the ambulatory surgery center. Surgical centers are governed by the state and have very extensive guidelines to meet and information to record. The most efficient EHR systems allow the clinic and the ASC to share information while also completing the functions unique to an ambulatory surgery center.
Automating workflow has a number of advantages, including efficiency gains and decreased potential for omissions and mistakes. An effective EHR system will help the surgical center run smoothly and efficiently and better serve its patients. At Gold Eye Clinic, we are using Compulink’s Ophthalmology Advantage EHR and practice management software, and we feel that it has improved our functionality enormously. Law requires that ASCs and clinics maintain separate health care records, even if owned by the same organization; however, duplication of forms invites transcription errors and omissions and is time-consuming for patients and staff. It is essential to choose a system that synchronizes information between the two so that all records are up-to-date and demographic data are shared.
Streamlining workflow
We use our software to its maximum capability, and it has given us a very effective and streamlined workflow. Only one sheet of paper per patient is needed to identify vital information and keep all patients in order as we move them through the surgical center.
As soon as patients check in, a technician can see who is there, where they are currently, what their needs are and where they need to go. Surgical counselors are alerted to expect a patient, prepare their paperwork for surgery and look in on patients when needed. Prescriptions are automatically generated and transferred if needed for the optical shop. Because all data are entered only once, there is a much lower chance of essential information getting transferred incorrectly or forgotten.
One of the most important features of a good EHR system is that it encourages complete records. The user is alerted if essential data are missing, and surgeons spend a few minutes at the end of each day completing records and making sure all charts are complete before they are closed. Previously we would often not discover something had been omitted until it was too late to remember the details.
In a surgical center, EHR software must not only prompt for individual patient information such as blood pressure and pulse upon check-in, but it also needs to track a host of staff functions. ASCs are required to keep temperature logs for anything refrigerated, sterilization and safety check logs for all equipment, and cleaning records for the surgery suite. A good EHR system will track all of this, adding to the efficient running of the center. Our system also tracks inventory and supplies, is automatically programmed to know what supplies are used in a particular procedure, and sends orders directly from the computer to the appropriate vendors.
Ease of customization
Things move very quickly in surgery centers, and surgeons tend to be accustomed to carrying out their duties in a specific order. These factors make it important for our practice to have software that is both user-friendly and customizable. During surgery, the surgeon gets into a rhythm and is concentrating on the procedure; he or she does not have time to think about how the software is working or to click through several screens to get from point A to point B. The software should help physicians, not slow them down.
Customization also allows us to adapt the screens so that they are similar to the paper charts surgeons are used to using. If surgeons resent being forced to change their work habits, the transition to EHRs will not be successful. Flexibility in the templates allows us to customize the software for the physician, taking maximum advantage of the efficiency gains.
This is also true with the operation reports. Custom reports are created for each physician and each procedure. After the procedure, the surgeon can make changes as needed depending on the individual case, while the majority of the information is already in place.
Getting support
EHRs are a relatively new entity that is still evolving, making support from your vendor vital to the success of your EHR system. In Texas, where we are located, new laws require that certain demographic data on patients be provided to the state. Our vendor has enabled us to provide this information automatically, relieving our staff from having to enter the information manually. Changes in state and national laws are only to be expected, necessitating a vendor that can adapt with these changes and provide staff support.
The essence of EHRs is to create a more precise health care environment, to the benefit of the physician and the patient. Effective software has the ability to help reduce oversight and improve communication between the physician and patient, as well as among the various health care professionals serving a single patient. Complete records that can easily be shared make the patient more accountable and more compliant, as well as keep other health care providers more informed, allowing them to make better decisions. Change is often a good thing, and the change to electronic health records could be one of the best advances in health care yet.
- Linney Patton, COE, can be reached at Gold Eye Clinic and Palestine Surgery Center, 501 E. Kolstad Street, Palestine, TX 75801; 903-731-4653; email: admin@goldeyeclinic.com.
- Disclosure: Mr. Patton is the administrator of Gold Eye Clinic and has no financial interest in Compulink.