Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Blog of a Newbie IV: Transforming & Maturing

I am nearing completion of week #2, and I dare say I am no longer a newbie. I'm now a Competent User and quickly feeling like an Advanced User.

Since "GOING LIVE," we've been scanning in charts of each patient as they come in. Guess where the paper goes.....that's right....in the TRASH.

Very little paper is being GENERATED by my office now. Prior to AC we were sucking through CASES upon CASES of paper per quarter. Now we are discarding CASES upon CASES of paper per DAY.

The chart rack is noticeably THINNER.

We've had no catastrophies this week. My laptop is working perfectly <<just jynxed myself....like saying "Gee it sure is quiet around here" when working the E.D.>>

I'm employing my medical student for a small but reasonable salary to enter data (problem lists and med lists). I have med students with me EVERY month this year except July. We need to be converted by then.

I'm happy with the transition. It's not the night mare I thought it would be.

I would emplore more users to go totally paperless (near paperless). I'm loving it!!

Brian,
You will be proud of me for this one. I admitted my first patient from the office using your admission order template. I discussed the orders with my student and allowed him opportunity to suggest everything that filled in the blanks. HE WAS TOTALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE ADMISSION using AC.

I faxed the order sheet to the medical floor at my local hospital along with the office note, looking very much like an H&P. I still had to dictate, but I was able to dictate w/ less effort.....I basically read my office note into the phone.

It's 2AM now, so I'm going to bed. More to come later.

That is totally cool, Adam. I am very proud!

I usually print the office visit as an admission H&P (I just put "History and Physical" on the CC line). I print a large detailed note with the practice header, and send it with the patient, with their orders, in a sealed envelope, to be presented at Admissions (this is a small town).

We use Meditech at our hospital, which features computerized notes. After the patient leaves, I copy and paste the completed note from AC and email it to the hospital transcriptionist and they import it into the hospital records system.

That way, the patient has an H&P on the chart that night, and the official hospital computer note is on the chart by the next morning.

I wish we could do that. Our community hospital requires a dictated H&P however, so they will not do any cutting and pasting. It would be so much simpler if they did.