Adventist La Grange Hospital Moves to Computerized Entry System

Adventist Hinsdale and Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospitals implemented a new, computerized system Tuesday that is designed to reduce medical errors and speed up patient care by eliminating handwritten orders for all inpatients.

Adventist Hinsdale and Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospitals now rank in the top 16 percent of the nation’s hospitals for having a fully-integrated electronic medical records system.

“When physicians enter orders directly into the system, we remove the middle man between the physician and the patient’s treatment. There’s no chance of someone misinterpreting a physician’s handwriting," said Dr. Gary Lipinski, chief medical officer of Adventist Midwest Health. "In addition, specialized warnings alert the physician to any potential negative interactions. These safeguards mean there’s less of a chance for errors.”

The CPOE process enables physicians and other health care providers to enter orders directly into the hospital’s electronic medical records (EMR) system, eliminating the need for paper, reducing errors and decreasing the amount of time elapsed from physician order to patient care. The program automatically checks for medication interactions, incorrect dosages and duplicated orders.

Regular use of a CPOE is something the U.S. government specifically identified as necessary to accomplish so-called “meaningful use” of electronic medical record systems in the 2009 federal stimulus law. To qualify and receive subsidy payments for information technology systems, hospitals and physicians are required to prove their usefulness.

“By implementing this new process today, Adventist Hinsdale and Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospitals are ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing new technology to make our hospital the best it can be,” said David L. Crane, president and chief executive officer of Adventist Midwest Health and Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. “Our employees and the more than 500 members of the medical staff have worked for months to bring this project to fruition. But the real winners are the patients because CPOE will help us deliver safer, superior care.”

Adventist Hinsdale and Adventist La Grange Memorial hospitals are the third and fourth hospitals in the Adventist Midwest Health region to implement CPOE. Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital’s new system launched April 12 and Adventist GlenOaks Hospital’s took effect May 3. All four hospitals are part of Adventist Health System, which has been rolling out the system at its more than 40 U.S. hospitals.

“In the months following the rollout at our pilot sites in 2009, adverse drug effects were greatly reduced and there was a significant reduction in the number of times physicians had to be called to clarify medication orders, minimizing delays and freeing up pharmacists to invest time in rounding with physicians on the nursing units,” said Dr. Philip Smith, vice president and chief medical information officer for Adventist Health System.

By eliminating traditional paperwork, the new process also enables nurses and ancillary staff members to fully focus on patient needs.

“CPOE increases the amount of time that nurses spend at the bedside providing personalized care, which is vital,” said Shawn Tyrrell, vice president and chief nursing officer at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital.

“By implementing this new process today, Adventist Hinsdale and Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospitals are ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing new technology to make our hospital the best it can be,” said David L. Crane, president and chief executive officer of Adventist Midwest Health and Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, in a press release.

“Our employees and the more than 500 members of the medical staff have worked for months to bring this project to fruition. But the real winners are the patients because CPOE will help us deliver safer, superior care.”

Note: Lisa Parro is a senior public relations specialist at Adventist Midwest Health.