Perioperative Tool Deployed at St. Elizabeth’s
New technology tools to improve patient safety during the perioperative period were recently implemented at Caritas St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston. The healthcare organization adopted solutions from DocuSys, Incorporated. DocuSys issued a press release about the new contract.
St. Elizabeth’s evaluated a variety of tools available to improve patient safety efforts during the perioperative period. Top priorities in a solution included the ability to collect detailed patient information before admission and automation of the documentation process for anesthesia, including medication decision support tools.
The hospital implemented a web-based, patient-driven health survey application. This facilitates capture of patient health history before the surgical procedure. Another tool deployed is a module that captures both professional fees and documents comorbid health conditions. An anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) application creates an electronic medical record of the anesthesia information during surgery. This tool also provides clinical decision support related to medication delivery and compliance with quality measures.
Availability of these new tools will allow anesthesia team members the opportunity to prepare treatment plans for patients well before the planned surgery. This enables a longer time frame to address safety concerns before an operation, including consultation with other treating physicians and the surgical team.
An additional benefit is improved fiscal performance of the operating room by facilitating workflow efficiencies of anesthesia staff member and capture of comorbid conditions. Including comorbid disease can improve reimbursement rates from payers. The reporting capabilities of the AIM tool supports documentation of compliance with national quality measures.
DocuSys specializes in the development of AIMS and medication management tools. The goal of their systems is to maximize return on investment during surgical procedures and the quality of care delivered. Solutions available from DocuSys support all steps of the anesthesia care delivery process, including preadmission assessment.
St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center is part of the Caritas Christi Health Care system in New England. The system operates six different hospitals in the area and is affiliated with the Tufts University School of Medicine.
March 10, 2008 Related topics: Contract Awards, Quality, Safety, Errors, Surgery, Anesthesiology, IT & software