American Indian Report - November/December 2008 - (Page 23)

what the agency uses to collect, track and mine patient data. EHR, the graphical user interface, arrived in 2001 and was rolled out to every federally administered IHS site beginning in 2004. The point and click software allows providers to manage virtually every aspect of patient care without paper. Two-and-half years ago, SDUIH, which serves about 8,000 patients annually, abandoned the commercial electronic health record system it was using because it could not capture all the data required under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), implemented with urban programs in 2006, and Urban Common Reporting Requirements (UCRR). RPMS comes with dozens of applications, including registration/admissions, scheduling, accounts receivable, case management, clinical reporting, outpatient pharmacy and immunization management, and it was designed for the Indian health community and the reporting requirements that come with federal support. Keeler said it was lucky to have experience with an electronic record system before adopting the IHS system, yet the transition has not been easy. It had to spend a lot of staff time and dollars to bring everyone on board. It even had to hire two employees to handle IT support. Keeler, however, believes the system is well worth the investment, that it will improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. She praises its user friendliness, speed, accuracy and adaptability as well as its screens and customizable templates. And she thinks the paperless charts are a huge benefit — far fewer errors and no more illegible notes. “If you don’t chart right away, people think they remember. But they don’t, not like entering it right now,” Keeler said. Workers are still getting accustomed to the electronic charts. Until they become more proficient, the clinics are extending patient visits to one hour, a 30- to 45-minute cushion. EHR is live at 190 IHS sites, including 102 IHSoperated hospitals and health centers/stations and 81 tribally operated hospitals and health centers/ stations. As of June, RPMS has been installed in 19 of 21 comprehensive urban programs. Phyllis Wolfe, director of IHS Urban Indian Health Programs, is credited with spearheading the initiative to deploy the RPMS and EHR at urban facilities, to give them the tools to be more accountable and to better track quality. “We have come a long way in a very short period of time,” Wolfe said. The same commitment was not made to the 400plus tribally operated facilities. Though they are encouraged to adopt the system, they, in pursuit of self-determination and self-governance, get to choose. Urban programs have the option, too, and Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of the IHS Office of Information Technology, said some sites have opted for and will stick with commercial systems. For those that decide to adopt the IHS system, it is a big transition, but the agency has a team in place and provides training to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible. “It really is a business practice change,” Cullen said. “The whole way you deliver care may need to be modified in order to make it more efficient, more accountable and more consistent.” November/December 2008 23 American Indian Report

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Indian Report - November/December 2008

American Indian Report - November/December 2008 Contents Notes from Indian Country Elders Conference Offers Balancing Lessons Student Blanket Design Reflects Plains Horse Culture Congress: Activity on the Hill Prep School Recruits Native Students for Transitional Year Prior to College Honoring Nations Clinton Global Initiative Brings Native American Focus to the World A Q&A with Indian Country’s Top Cop Urban Clinics Go Paperless with IHS Record System Ohkay Owingeh Restores Wetlands, Protects Drinking Water Blogroll

American Indian Report - November/December 2008

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