If you have ever worked with an Electronic Health Record, create a post answering the following question
What was your role at the organization you worked at with an EHR?
I am currently a cardiac sonographer at UWMC in Seattle. I work with EHRs on a daily basis.
What was your experience with the EHR?
I have been a cardiac sonographer for 19 years, so actually remember dealing with patient paper charts. I love EHRs, they make our jobs as healthcare providers so much easier. Many mistakes are eliminated by having all of a patient’s information in one place. And now, with Epic, many healthcare facilities are able to see each other’s records.
Was your experience overall good or bad?
My experience has been overwhelmingly good.
What worked well in the EHR?
Having the patient information all in one place and easily accessible is great.
What could have been improved in the EHR?
Information sharing between facilities is currently being improved, which is good. I think in the very near future, facilities will have the capability to see diagnostic tests from other facilities within their Epic systems.
Angela
What was your role at the organization you worked at with an EHR?
My role is Epic Coordinator II. Without the official title, I act as a clinical informaticist (CI). I have worked in this role for 3 years this February and continue to excel in the field. I work for an outpatient ambulatory, federally qualified health center (FQHC), and community health center (CHC) accredited organization that serves nearly 15,000 patient visits per year.
I am the only CI for our location which employs 157 users of the Providence version of Epic Hyperspace.
. What was your experience with the EHR?
Was your experience overall good or bad?
For me, I am a total advocate of EHRs and especially of Epic. It is continually evolving and changing to better suit the needs of the patient and the providers that use Epic. Because of Epic, I found my career.
What worked well in the EHR?
Things that work well in our EHR are continuity of care of patients. On the Olympic Peninsula, all the major providers and clinics are on the same instance of Epic which has improved the care and exchange of patients and their health data. This continuity of care has helped us reach more patients and provide previously disconnected services.
What could have been improved in the EHR?
Interoperability continues to be a hurdle. Some clinics and hospitals use an EHR that cannot integrate data to and from our system and vice versa. Having so many, or no form of medical record platform at all, can muddy the waters of providing the best patient care possible. One example is when we refer patients to external organizations that are unable to electronically send follow-up information. In these cases, care is delayed by waiting on faxes or mail to then wait on HIM to scan said information, to wait then for providers to review the information and create a plan of treatment.