New computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system at Methodist Hospital supports patient safety, quality
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARCADIA (March 28, 2012) – Quality and patient safety have always been at the heart of Methodist Hospital’s mission to provide “The Next Generation of Care” exceptional patient experience.
Among the many initiatives supporting this mission is a new process implemented just this week. The computerized physician order entry system – CPOE – is a method of entering physician orders or other instructions electronically that eliminates the use of handwritten orders, which can lead to errors.
“We are proud and excited to be among the first facilities in the area to employ CPOE, which has proven to increase quality outcomes and improve patient safety,” said Methodist Hospital President and CEO Dan Ausman.
In fact, according to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Methodist Hospital is among the top 28 percent of hospitals in the country that have implemented the system.
CPOE offers many benefits that help the hospital and medical staff provide quality care to patients. These benefits include:
· Physician orders are more clearly and legibly processed.
· Pharmacists can dispense medications promptly.
· Dating and timing issues are resolved.
· Communication among physicians, nursing staff and the pharmacy will be better.
· Errors and delays will be minimized.
“Our information technology committee, made up of physicians and hospital staff, has been designing the best, most user-friendly and efficient CPOE process to roll out,” chief information officer Kara Marx said.
A well-researched and planned project more than two years in the making, CPOE was implemented throughout the hospital Monday, March 26, in conjunction with a new pharmacy system and an electronic medication administration record (EMAR).
“We have been using MACS (Methodist Automated Clinical Record System) for many years to perform basic result review, and each year we add more functionality to the electronic medical record,” Marx said. “A team of physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other hospital staff has been meeting regularly to test the new system, train users and track the quality and safety benefits.”
More than 300 physicians have already completed the mandatory CPOE training, conveniently offered several times each week including Saturdays and evenings, to fit their busy schedules. And more than 500 nurses have completed the electronic medication administration record training.
“For the past year we have been using CPOE in the critical care and emergency services areas,” said Elton Katagihara, chief of staff. “We have learned a lot, made some tweaks and are ready to use it throughout the hospital.”