Sutter Implements a Higher Level of Care in Solano County

After months of meticulous planning, coordination and training, Sutter Regional Medical Foundation (SRMF) has announced the rollout of an advanced and secure patient care technology—the electronic health record.

SRMF care center staff and clinicians at Mason Street and Martin Road care centers went “live” today. The other care centers will roll out the new technology every three weeks with the final care center go-live on March 16, 2010.

The new system provides clinicians with instant access to the information needed to provide better, safer and more convenient care to patients.

About the Electronic Health Record
An electronic health record (EHR) is a computerized version of a paper health record. It has all the information a paper health record has in it, such as medical history (e.g., allergies, medications, test results and other pertinent information), as well as contact and insurance information. One of the great benefits of the EHR is that patients will have ONE electronic health record that can be quickly accessed by caregivers.

The EHR gives clinicians another important tool to help patients stay healthy. The EHR generates automatic reminders to clinicians so that they can notify patients of important checkups, tests or immunizations. The EHR also connects patients to health information they can take home after appointments to help them further understand and follow the course of care their clinicians have recommended.

“All it takes is a few clicks of the mouse and we’re now able to quickly and easily access information about our patients,” says Zoe Berna, M.D., a family medicine physician who practices at SRMF’s Vacaville care center. “This allows us to coordinate a patient’s care in real-time, without having to wait for a paper chart to be faxed.”

Having one electronic health record that is shared among clinicians and locations makes it easier to review a patient’s history of test results. Clinicians are immediately notified when their patients’ test results are available. There is no wait time for test results to be transferred from the lab.

The EHR automatically crosschecks any new prescriptions being considered to ensure there are no negative interactions with allergies and current medications. An alert message will immediately notify clinicians of any potential drug or allergy interaction.

With Sutter Health’s EHR caregivers have access to the information they need to provide even better, safer and more convenient care to patients. The EHR connects physicians from across Sutter Health’s Northern California network—no matter where a patient seeks care their Sutter physicians will have instant access to their entire medical record.

Added Patient Features
Another great feature of Sutter Health’s EHR is MySutterOnline, an easy-to-use Internet tool that provides patients with quick and secure online access to portions of their electronic health record at Sutter Health. With MySutterOnline, patients will be able to conveniently request appointments online, access health information, view test results and more. Patients can easily enroll in MySutterOnline the next time they visit their doctor’s office.

“Our goal is to have any many patients as possible participate in MySutterOnline,” said Carolyn Appenzeller, COO of SRMF. “This is a great tool to enhance our patient experience and engagement. It will also serve to strengthen the partnership that exists between our patients and our health care team.”