Immediate

Parkland moves to paperless patient records Hospital one of the first to launch a completely wireless system

Parkland Health & Hospital System implemented an electronic medical record system that went live for all inpatient medical records. Parkland is one of the first integrated health systems in North Texas to launch system-wide and one of the first to launch a completely wireless system. The new system shifts charting and documentation from paper to a computer-based system. Nurses and providers now use mobile computer workstations that move to the bedside for duties such as documenting medical history, physician orders and notes, vital signs and admission assessment, among others. "We now have the most extensive access to electronic inpatient medical records in the medical district. Our patients' information is now available at the stroke of a key from anywhere in the hospital," said Jack Kowitt, Parkland's chief information officer. "This convenient access to patient records allows our staff to be more efficient, freeing them up to focus more time to the patients and their care. And, the new system also helps ensure accuracy." Rigorous testing was completed over the last six months by information technology specialists and medical personnel. Nearly 6,500 nurses and providers were trained in preparation for the launch. "Parkland staff worked tirelessly to ensure the implementation was smooth. In the end, the launch was seamless to our patients," Kowitt added. Due to the age of the hospital's facilities, installation of new hardware and infrastructure was required to make the new systems possible. New hardware included more than 1,200 computers in the inpatient units, 300 printers and more than 800 wireless antennae throughout the hospital. "Because the building is so old, it could not support all the required wiring. Therefore we had to go wireless. In turn, that put us on the leading edge. We can actually do more than most hospitals because we are wireless," said John Dragovits, Parkland's chief financial officer. New research by a Parkland physician released this year found a connection between investments in IT and the quality of patient care. The study, led Dr. Ruben Amarasingham, Parkland's associate chief of medicine services, found that Texas hospitals with electronic records, automated systems and other technologies had fewer complications, lower costs and lower mortality rates. The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. "Dr. Amarasingham's study provides evidence that a hospital's investments in information technology can improve the quality and safety of patient care. At the same time, these investments make good business sense as we can now be more efficient in our operations and lower costs. Ultimately, these improvements will help us better serve our patients," said Dragovits. The launch of the inpatient and pharmacy systems is part of a $45 million, three-year program to launch electronic medical records throughout the entire Parkland system, including the main hospital campus and 31 off-site clinics. The implementation project will continue throughout the year. By the end of the summer, electronic medical records will have launched at Parkland's 11 school-based clinics. Implementation of electronic medical records began in October 2008 at Parkland's 11 outpatient clinics and nine women's clinics, continuing throughout the year until all are online. All 120 specialty clinics will go live throughout the next year. In addition, last November, Parkland's Emergency Room implemented a similar system specifically for emergency care.

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For Further Information Contact: Melissa Grych 214-590-8054