New enhancements in the City of Hope Information System, or CIS, will allow physicians, nurses and staff to manage vital elements of their patients’ care more efficiently than ever before.

The latest CIS enhancements boost City of Hope’s transition to fully electronic medical records.

New features center on three key patient-care areas: managing immunization schedules and reminders, capturing patient personal data electronically and entering patient billing information electronically. 

The new Health/Immunization Manager module replaces paper documentation of patient immunizations. Clinical care team members can instantly access a patient’s data in a centralized location and schedule immunizations according to City of Hope and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention schedules. Physicians also will receive electronic reminders when a patient is due for a vaccination.

“This is a great tool because it will help physicians stay abreast of steps that their oncology patients should take to avoid disease,” says Robert J. Morgan, M.D., director of the Department of Continuing Medical Education and co-director of the Gynecologic Oncology/Peritoneal Malignancy Program.

The ability to capture a patient’s history electronically can make a big difference, as well. The new Patient Profile makes a patient’s health information instantly available to health professionals who need it. Each time a patient comes to City of Hope, the Patient Profile is updated so clinicians have the patient’s most-up-to-date health data and characteristics.

“The Patient Profile will make admitting a patient quick and efficient,” said Joanb Fernandez, R.N., assistant clinical nurse manager in pediatrics. “It gives other members of the care team access to a patient’s information without having to physically be on the unit holding the chart.”

The new feature will be used by nurses in the new patient services department and launched as a pilot in the pediatric inpatient unit. Julia Fukuhara, R.N., a nurse in the Department of Pediatrics, believes that access to consistent information by professionals across disciplines will improve care in her area.

“I can see how many of the questions can be useful, such as how well a language is spoken, sleep patterns, number of siblings and their ages, as well as cognitive development,” she said. “I envision it enhancing staff communication in many ways.”

Another new module is called Superbill. This feature allows physicians and physician assistants to input and submit electronically the procedures performed and diagnoses made during outpatient clinic visits. Superbill will enable City of Hope providers to send billing information to medical billers electronically, reducing the risk of losing paperwork or making errors due to illegible handwriting. In the future, the organization could use the system to analyze data to better understand patients’ medical needs.

To ensure CIS users are comfortable using new enhancements, “super users” — employees already trained on the features — are available in treatment areas to answer questions and provide onsite support. Staff members also can visit the CIS Care Center, located in Room BA02 in the Geri & Richard Brawerman Ambulatory Care Center, for help in setting up their CIS systems, including setting their preferences, and to receive additional training.

The CIS Care Center is open July 23 to 27 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; July 28 and 29 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and July 30 to Aug. 3 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additionally, staff may call the ITS Help Desk at ext. 64357.

Look out for more enhancements and new CIS features in the coming months. For more information, log on to www.coh.org/CIS.