For nearly 200 years, stethoscopes have been one of the most important diagnostic tools in the medical profession. From the time the instrument was invented in 1816, the medical stethoscope has been one of the most informative and reliable tools for diagnosing certain diseases.
New Generation of Residents Trained on EHR
When it comes to electronic medical record software, increasingly physicians are using this software package as a modern day medical instrument. The 24 residents and 15 faculty members at Washington Hospital in Washington, Pa., use an electronic medical record software system to reap the clinical gains that can be achieved for their chronic disease patients.
The providers at Washington Hospital on a quarterly basis extract and download patient information from the electronic medical record and send the data to Practice Partner Research Network (PPRNet). Formed in 1995, PPRNet is affiliated with the Department of Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina and is the first practice based network linking physicians using an EMR. PPRNet membership consists of over 135 physician practices representing more than 700 healthcare providers and 615,000 active patients nationwide.
With the ability to pull data from an electronic medical record, the data that is extracted gives Washington Hospital a concise look into over 80 clinical indicators from diabetes and cancer screens to cardiovascular disease.
Allowing Washington Hospital the ability to utilize the electronic medical record software solution as a diagnostic tool, providers have achieved substantial improvements in clinical outcomes.
