Electronic Health Record Being Implemented at PCH

Paris Community Hospital/Family Medical Center is once again “gearing up” for implementation of a new electronic health record (EHR)—this time in the hospital. Athenahealth, which is being used in the Family Medical Centers, will be implemented on the hospital side this month.

PCH/FMC has been working toward implementing one, overarching EHR system for the entire organization since spring of 2014.

The Family Medical Centers implemented athenahealth in January 2016. Adding this technology to the hospital operations is the next major step in streamlining patient care throughout the entire organization.

The EHR system will help improve electronic communication between clinical staff and streamline the patient’s care coordination. This will enable healthcare providers to have the most current information when making healthcare decisions.

“We’ve been working with athenahealth to help develop their hospital product for the last two years,” said Martin Adams, vice president of finance at PCH/FMC. “We are very excited about its launch and we know it will help optimize patient care.”

Patient information that has been entered into athenahealth from the Family Medical Centers or EZ Care will be available to hospital staff as soon as the system goes live. Medication lists, insurance information, and photos will all be carried over. Patients should still bring their insurance cards to all appointments.

Adams stated: “Even though patient information will be shared from the clinics, processes may take a little longer. This system is new to our hospital staff. Please bear with us through this development.”

The Central Scheduling Department is a service that continues to grow with the hospital EHR. It was developed to aid in the coordination of patient care. The department’s goal is to ensure that appropriate scheduling and authorization for testing is completed in a way that is convenient for the patient.

Patient Portal features will also become more robust as the hospital portal will merge with the current clinic portal. Patients can use the portal to request a medication refill, request an appointment, send a message to their provider, view and request updates to their medical history (after the system is live), and view upcoming appointments. Patients can still access their old records by visiting the PCH/FMC Health Information Department.