Hospitals debut new record system
BY MICHELLE L. _START Florida Weekly Correspondent
Lee Memorial Health System is rolling out a multi-million dollar electronic record system aimed at linking area emergency rooms with physician offices.
The system went live at Cape Coral Hospital's emergency room June 19 under the name of Epic and with Lee Physicians Group under the name Epicare on Aug. 1.
Emergency rooms at Lee Memorial Hospital and HealthPark Medical Center are slated to launch on Aug. 21. Gulf Coast Hospital and Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center will not be online during the first phase.
"This will give us a single record for a patient throughout the group," said Geurt Peet, chief administration officer for ambulatory services at LMHS. "It is unheard of in the community. The physician outpatient record will be tied to the hospital."
Lee Physicians Group treats about 130,000 local patients. The roll out there is anticipated to take between a year and 18 months.
"Over the next couple of years, we are hoping to roll it out in all of the offices," said Mike Smith, chief information officer for LMHS. "Eventually, it could become community wide. It has those capabilities."
The first phase of the launch is anticipated to cost between $6 and $8 million. The cost is being covered by LMHS.
"It will have a significant impact when we talk about the healthcare delivery and having all of that information at our fingertips. It has the potential of tremendous savings and significant patient safety enhancements," Smith said.
For example, the integrated system could tell physicians what medications and existing medical problems an unconscious trauma patient may have. The system would grant doctors access to medical tests that a patient may have undergone, as well, thus reducing the cost of duplicating the tests.
It could also help cut down on prescription drug abuse within the community, Smith said.
In 2006, one out of 10 Lee County children in grades 6-12 illegally used a prescription pain drug, according to the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Of those 4.8 percent reported use within 30 days.
The (Florida) Medical Examiners Commission reported that 20 Lee County deaths in 2006 were attributed to oxycodone and another eight to morphine. The majority of those deaths were reported in victims between the age of 35 and 50.
"One of the things that happens in the emergency department is that people abuse it and try to get prescriptions," Smith said. "They won't be able to do that anymore."
Local patients will not be able to opt out of participation.
Nationally, several organizations have raised concerns about safeguarding the privacy of electronic medical records.
"There are a variety of levels of security built in based on who you are," Smith said. "There is a thing called 'Break the Glass' where physicians can assign a patient to themselves but it leaves a trail. We have a record of that access. It is very auditable."
LMHS has had an electronic medical record in place since 2003, but it did not integrate records from outside the hospital.
"I'm hopeful that we can find a way to make it available to all physicians in the community," Smith said. "That is sort of what we are positioning ourselves for." ¦
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