Good Samaritan Society-International Falls took its first step toward an electronic medical records system last week.
Certified nursing assistants at the nursing home are now using touch-screen kiosks to record medical information in this first phase of the transition to electronic health records.
A trial over the past couple years involved nursing home staff using handheld devices to record medical information. These devices each staff member carried “didn’t hold up to what we needed,” according to Adam Coe, administrator for Good Samaritan Society-International Falls. The switch from the trial hand-held devices to kiosk computers along the walls “will hold up as we begin rolling out the next steps to fully integrate us to a complete electronic health records system,” Coe said.
“This begins our new strive to a full electronic health records system,” Coe told The Journal. “Our goal is to hopefully eliminate as much paper charting as possible.”
Certified nursing assistants now use the kiosks to chart information about care, services, health, activities and meals.
The next step in the transition will allow nurses to also chart electronically every day about medications and treatments, which nurses currently chart on paper, Coe said. This step will be implemented roughly within the next year, he said.
In the third and final phase of the transition, the system will allow documents from other health care facilities to be scanned in. Any forms or medical information from medical visits outside the building can be added to complete each resident’s medical record. Over the next couple years, the next phases will be put into place toward a complete electronic health records system, Coe said.
“Changing the face of long-term care requires an investment in the Information Age. With the move to EHR, senior care will be assured of the efficiency and modernity necessary to give all those we care for a greater peace of mind,” Coe said.
According to a statement from Good Samaritan Society, the benefits of the system include efficiency in information-sharing between hospitals and clinics, resulting in cost savings, improved accuracy and fewer mistakes; improved quality of care and consistency of care; strengthened communication between all health care providers, seniors and their families; and increased productivity allowing more time for staff to spend with residents.
A federal law signed in 2009, called the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, provides incentives for Good Samaritan Society to adopt the new electronic system, according to a prepared statement from the organization. Under this law, those who do not comply by 2015 with electronic health records requirements would lose a portion of their Medicare funding.
Good Samaritan Society’s new system is called PointClickCare.
“It will alert staff members to each resident’s upcoming care or medication needs, give physicians outside the building access to medical records, and create efficiencies and accuracy in documentation,” said Director of Nursing Sharon Kostiuk.
Good Samaritan Society Home Care department, a separate entity of the organization, has also begun moving forward with electronic records. Staff recently switched from using paper charts to touch-screen tablets.
“The tablets are practical and innovative tools for our staff, that offer better connectivity, are more user-friendly, and provide less room for error,” said Robin Steele, director of Home Care.
Good Samaritan Society Director of Human Resources Deanna Kittelson added, “Through the hard work and dedication of all our staff members at International Falls, each of these changes will positively affect residents’ lives and enhance the working environment.”
