Project
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Phoenix
With Project Phoenix , we ’ ll be able to improve efficiency and provide better outcomes .”
— Jeana O ’ Brien , MD
The next generation of the electronic medical records ( EMR ) program is a sizeable investment that engages patients and simplifies clinicians ’ access to secure healthcare information
very fall , as children head back
E to school , parents everywhere are up to their elbows in file cabinets looking for elusive vaccination records . However , with Scott & White Healthcare ’ s new patient portal going live next summer , a parent will be able to access the child ’ s immunization record , make an appointment for the needed shots , and refill a prescription anywhere , even through a smartphone .
“ This technology really gets us to where many of our patients want us to be ,” says Jeana O ’ Brien , MD , Scott & White Healthcare chief medical informatics officer and a pulmonologist and professor of medicine at the Texas A & M Health Science Center College of Medicine . The patient portal will be one highly visible component of Project Phoenix , the largest information technology upgrade in Scott & White Healthcare ’ s 115-year history . Scott & White began the transition to a new
EMR platform two years ago when it was time to upgrade its old system after more than two decades of use .
Easier access in a secure environment Project Phoenix will streamline the current variation in processes used for patient care at Scott & White into one secure software program called Epic . This means one electronic medical record for a patient , in any hospital or clinic , and one bill . Nick Reddy , Scott & White senior vice president of Information System Investments , says , “ We want each patient to have a consistent experience , like when you go to a McDonald ’ s in Beijing or withdraw cash from a Bank of America ATM in New York . It ’ s one process , one system , and more importantly a consistent patient experience .”
Although patients will notice new electronic access to their medical information and electronic check-in kiosks , the most significant changes are behind the scenes , directed toward Scott & White ’ s healthcare providers . “ It ’ s common for our clinicians to need to access four or more different systems a day to provide patients care ,” says Matthew Chambers , Scott & White Healthcare chief information officer . For example , since Scott & White has expanded so greatly , details from one patient ’ s medical record may be spread across several systems , depending on where he or she goes for a clinic visit , where any hospitalizations have occurred , and where prescriptions are filled .
Project Phoenix will put all of that patient ’ s information in one record that can be accessed securely anywhere within the Scott & White Healthcare system . Clinic administrators , physical therapists , physicians , other caregivers , and financial representatives will
sw . org | November 12 The Catalyst 33