FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Michael.Beauchat@TheChristHospital.com

The Christ Hospital Develops Electronic Medical Record Interface for Hemodialysis

Provides More Complete Look at Individual Treatments, Care over Time

Cincinnati, Ohio – The Christ Hospital, in partnership with Epic Systems Corporation, has successfully implemented the first-ever interface that captures real-time data from hemodialysis treatments in the Epic Electronic Medical Record (EMR). This added functionality will provide more complete documentation of each patient’s treatment and help caregivers to provide a higher level of individualized care.

“It is remarkable how, in a few short years, our staff has embraced the use of the EMR and continues to actively design next-generation solutions to improve the quality and safety of patient care,” said Deborah Hayes, R.N., M.S.., N.E.A.-B.C., chief hospital officer/chief nursing officer. “This application has the potential to positively impact the care of patients who require hemodialysis nationwide.”

Hemodialysis is a medical procedure by which waste and excess fluid are removed from the body, most often in patients with chronic kidney disease or acute renal failure. This process can take anywhere from three to five hours, depending on the needs of each patient. Each treatment produces a range of data, such as vital signs, instrument pressures and volume of fluid removed, that is stored in the hemodialysis machines.

Before the implementation of the EMR interface, all data produced during hemodialysis treatment had to be entered manually, a time intensive process. With the new EMR interface, data is automatically logged into the patient record once every minute, allowing caregivers an expanded view of each treatment, while greatly increasing the accuracy of the data entry. They need only validate the data they wish to include by clicking a button.

Automatic logging also provides a better view of treatment trends over time. “With this expanded data, physicians and nurses will be able to better assess, analyze and adjust dialysis treatments so that they are highly tailored to each patient,” said Carmen Pitman, R.N., M.S.N., N.E.A.-B.C, clinical manager of The Christ Hospital hemodialysis unit. “This will also allow our nurses to have a more thorough and complete medical record and increase the time the staff can spend with the patient at the bedside.”

The Christ Hospital was the first hospital in Greater Cincinnati to implement the Epic EMR hospital-wide in June 2008. All patient records are entered and stored electronically, including prescription records, medical imaging, telemetry and all physician orders. In September 2009, Epic was expanded into the primary care offices of The Christ Hospital Medical Associates (TCHMA) and The Christ Hospital Physical and Occupational Therapy Centers, allowing access to patient information across the continuum of care. Patients of select TCHMA offices have access to The Christ Hospital MyChart, which provides secure access to test results, medical history and immunizations, as well as tools to manage appointments, communicate with their physicians and access MyChart accounts established with other hospitals or doctor’s offices.

About The Christ Hospital: The Christ Hospital offers a wide range of medical, surgical and testing services at its main campus just north of Downtown Cincinnati and at numerous outpatient and physician practice locations throughout Greater Cincinnati. Its mission is to provide the finest patient experience and improve the health of our community. For the past 12 years, The Christ Hospital has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s top hospitals, and has been named Cincinnati’s Most Preferred Hospital for 15 consecutive years by National Research Corporation (NRC). The Christ Hospital has been granted Magnet^® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for excellence in nursing care. For more information about the award-winning services of The Christ Hospital, visit www.TheChristHospital.com.

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