The Catalyst Issue 22 | September 2015 | Page 15

would often need to access four or more different systems in a single day to provide patient care. The EMR system is a single integrated system that places each patient’s information into a single record that can be accessed securely from anywhere within the Baylor Scott & White - Central Texas system. For example, if a patient goes to the emergency room, physicians there have access to that patient’s medical history, which can be critically important. Conversely, physicians who see patients during clinic visits can know if their patients were recently seen in the emergency room, what the circumstances were, and what treatment methods were employed. Given the complexity and the vast size of the healthcare system, the EMR integration moved forward in phases. Round Rock and College Station were the first to be up and running in 2013, followed by Temple and Hillcrest in 2014. The