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Computer Use At The Point of Medical Care
By Rod Tanchanco
When I started a solo practice in Internal Medicine a year ago, I made the decision to have a fully implemented EMR and Practice Management System. I utilize a tablet PC linked wirelessly to an on-location server, and I had found the following measures to be very helpful in enhancing my efficiency during a typical work day.
Have A Central Documents Location
After firing up the tablet PC and starting the EMR program, I also open the internet browser. I have created folders on the server containing documents pertinent to patient encounters. This makes it easy to access these documents without having to leave the exam room.
For instance, I have a folder for my most commonly used Patient Education materials.There is another folder for the Vaccine Information Sheets, and another for screening forms for various conditions.
Make Best Use of The Internet
I added several very helpful bookmarks on my web browser. The AAFP website familydoc-tor.org is a great resource for more patient education materials that are not in my collection. I also use Medscape.com for the same purpose. Medscape even has animations – a cool teaching tool for conditions like disk herniation.
For Evidence-Based information, and medications resource, I access ACP's PIER (Physician In-formation and Education Resource), and Epocrates online, which serves as back-up to my EMR's e-prescribing feature.
Other useful sites include flashcode.com for quick ICD-9 look up, and the 10-year CHD risk as-sessor from the National Cholesterol Education Program. This is also a useful teaching and mo-tivational tool as I could do 'what if' scenarios and tell the patient how their quantitative CHD risk changes when the risk factors are modified.
Centralized Printing
Strategic placement of the printer (and a back-up) further enhances efficiency. All printed mate-rials including controlled prescriptions are ready at check-out by visit's end.
I have found that this system significantly reduces clutter, keeps materials up to date, boosts effi-ciency, and best of all, is almost free! It has enhanced the visit experience for both myself, and the patients who generally feel that I had done a little extra for them. It goes to show that there is more to a 'paperless' office than just having the electronic medical record itself.. These extra perks on workflow keep things moving smoothly and help ensure a more thorough and meaningful patient encounter.
About the Author
Dr. Tanchanco has also written an eBook entitled "An EMR Journey." Written for healthcare professionals looking into implementing electronic records into their practices, the 48-page publica-tion describes his experiences with EMR adoption, the process he went through, lessons learned, and insights gained along the way. It also lists helpful resources that may be utilized in choosing and implementing an EMR. The eBook is available at http://www.anemrjourney.com .
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| Some other articles by Rod Tanchanco | 'Paperless' Medical Office In Delaware Featured In Quality Times
Internal Medicine of Delaware, LLC, the medical practice of Dr. Rod Tanchanco was recently featured in Quality Times, the quarterly publication of Quality Insights of Delaware. Quality Insights of Delaware is the First State's Medicare Quality Improvement ...
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