 Leslie Popplewell (Photo by Vanessa Preziose Photography 2007) |
The City of Hope Information System (CIS) recently launched three enhancements to boost patient care at City of Hope. Called Prescription Writer, Vital Signs and the Patient Summary List, these improvements became available electronically to physicians, nurses and care team members on July 19.
The new tools center on three key patient-care areas: writing and electronically sending drug prescriptions to pharmacies, electronically documenting vital signs and accurately documenting medications, allergies and patient problems.
“These new CIS features will help support the care team while also enhancing the patient experience,” said Naveen Raja, D.O., chief medical information officer. “For example, with Prescription Writer, we are now transmitting prescriptions directly to most pharmacies electronically, eliminating long wait times or return trips for patients.
“Prescription Writer also features alerts for potentially dangerous drug interactions, reducing the chances of adverse events,” Raja added.
 Naveen Raja (Photo by p.cunningham) |
The Vital Signs enhancement allows clinical staff to record and view patient vital-sign measurements electronically instead of on paper, enabling them to devote more time to patients, according to Raja.
Mark Wakabayashi, M.D., M.P.H., chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, and Leslie Popplewell, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, were among a group that pilot-tested Prescription Writer.
“Electronic prescription writing simplifies the entire process, which increases both physician efficiency and overall accuracy,” Wakabayashi said.
Popplewell noted improvements to the patient experience. “Refills can be approved with a few keystrokes, which improves both patient safety and satisfaction,” she said.
The Patient Summary List, which replaces the current Medication Allergies and Problems System, broadly known as MAPS, will help care teams effectively document and manage patient problems. The system electronically documents medications patients take at home, as well as patients’ allergies and other problems, and allows care team members to review many pieces of a patient’s medical history at the same time within CIS.
To ensure CIS users are comfortable using the new enhancements, a team of 100 “super users” are available in treatment areas to answer questions and provide on-site support.
 Mark Wakabayashi (Photo by Darrin S. Joy) |
Staff members also can visit the CIS Care Center, located in Room BA02 in the Geri & Richard Brawerman Center for Ambulatory Care, for help in setting up their CIS systems, including setting their preferences, and to receive additional training. The CIS Care Center is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day until July 29.
Additionally, staff may call the ITS Help Desk at ext. 64357.
Said Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., M.A.C.P., chief medical officer: “We are excited to bring these new CIS enhancements to physicians, nurses and the entire care team. The benefits of Prescription Writer, Vital Signs and the Patient Summary List will help City of Hope achieve its goal of continually improving the care we deliver to patients. We’ve devoted extensive resources to ensure staff members feel comfortable using the new features and will continue to provide ongoing training and support.
“We are grateful to everyone who has put in long hours planning and helping to execute these enhancements.”
