Technology Update: The "Thin Client"
Computers in every Exam Room

All of us at Facey are working hard to bring modern health care practices to each and every exam room.  As of October, new technologies are being introduced designed to make life easier for patients and providers alike.

Facey has been rolling out a massive upgrade to the way physicians access and use the electronic health records (EHR) Facey beginning several years ago. The improvements continue to this day. "It starts with an upgrade to the latest version of Touchworks, the software that powers the EHR system," says Dr. Lawrence Bernstein. "Among other improvements, we'll be able to enter notes directly into the patient's EHR without the need for dictation.">

This is big news, since the dictation of notes is both costly and time consuming, since the notes must be transcribed into the EHRs by an outside company. With the software upgrade, a new "note" module will make it a snap to enter notes by using predefined keywords. A cleaner, improved note viewer will make retrieving the information later easier.

But notes are just the beginning. "Time is a real tight commodity for providers," notes Dr. Bernstein. "Right now, we're in this transition phase where we have to work with two sets of records. The traditional printed record has most of the lab results and other test information, and the EHR has all of the relevant notes. It's a cumbersome process and a real time-killer."

The most recent and most visible expression is that of the Flat-screen "Thin Client" PCs in each of the exam rooms. The screen, keyboard and mouse will be wall mounted and fold up to save space.

"We can look everything up while we're with the patient. We can enter our notes quietly while they explain their problems. We can write their e-prescription before they even leave the room. All of this really adds up to improving our workflow. The latest Pay For Performance (P4P) scores showed a marked increase in patient satisfaction, and much of this has to do with Touchworks and Advanced Access. By upgrading our technology, we'll support both Advanced Access and P4P in one fell swoop."