Summit Medical Group (SMG) is on the leading edge of state-of-the-art patient care. Instead of previously cumbersome paper medical records, SMG has implemented an electronic health record (EHR) system that stores all patient medical information, including but not limited to:
- Details about medical treatment and interventions
- Progress notes
- Patients’ concerns
- Vital signs
- Medical history
- Laboratory results
- Radiology findings
Benefits of the EHR include faster patient registration, a streamlined workflow, easy access to each patient’s comprehensive medical information, and the ability for physicians to quickly share medical records and coordinate patient care.
Although every department at SMG uses the EHR, it is especially useful in the Urgent Care Center when quick access to a patient’s information can make all the difference in medical decisions and outcomes. The EHR allows physicians and nurses to access to the most up-to-date information about a patient. For example, previous imaging and laboratory results can be swiftly accessed and compared with current results. In addition, primary care physicians or specialists who have access to the EHR can provide better follow-up care because they have all information about a patient’s medical history.
Standardized data input, forms, terminology, and abbreviations are another convenience of the EHR system. On the surface, advances such as these might seem insignificant. But research shows that using an EHR reduces errors associated with hand-written documentation.