A new report from Lancaster General Health illustrates the magnitude of a behind-the-scenes change happening across the medical community.
“Just 10 years ago, truckloads of paper lab results made the daily journey from Brownstown to Lancaster General Hospital,” the report said. “Not too long ago, physicians and nurses charted on paper.”
The process of implementing an electronic medical record system called Epic started in February 2007, the report said, and since then has cost an estimated $100 million, “mostly due to additional labor needs.”
The transition took an initial hit on productivity, the report said, with providers reducing their patient volume by about a third in the first month they had Epic, and some still reporting that they spend more time on documentation after hours.
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The report quoted Dr. Michael R. Ripchinski, Lancaster General’s physician executive for quality, as saying most providers now recognize Epic’s value — especially for population health and disease management tasks, such as quickly identifying opportunities to screen or treat patients — but that work continues.
“On the positive side, Epic keeps me on my toes and allows me to see the big picture for my patients with a speed that was impossible previously, medications can be refilled quickly and patients can email me directly,” said Dr. Bill Bakken of Family Medicine Abbeyville. “On the negative side, you can never really get away from work, it slows you down, prolongs your work day and likely fuels professional burnout.”
York-based WellSpan Health, which also has a significant presence in Lancaster County, is in the midst of a massive systemwide switch from its current electronic medical record system to Epic.
Date: April 14, 2017