December 1, 2006 Berlin, Vt – The CVMC Emergency Department will begin using a new cutting edge emergency department information system, ED Pulsecheck, on December 5th. This new technology will allow emergency room doctors and staff to spend more time caring for patients and decrease the amount of time patients spend waiting.
A trained greeter will welcome patients and ask a few questions. Time spent at the registration desk will be short and be replaced by in-room registration to better protect a patient’s privacy.
Nursing staff will utilize new portable carts equipped with computers to record information. Physicians will have handheld computers to enter medical information.
A giant electronic tracking board will help organize tasks, taking the place of the big white board similar to what you see on television shows like “Grey’s Anatomy.”
“Although it will take awhile for everyone to get used to the computers, staff members have been well-trained in this cutting edge technology,” observed ED nurse manager Derrick Kouwenhoven. “It will decrease the average length of stay in the Emergency Department, over time.”
Records are kept in one place eliminating duplication and protecting the patient’s privacy. Lab and radiology results will be available more quickly.
Upon discharge, patients will receive neatly printed educational instructions, replacing handwritten instructions.
Less than a year ago, CVMC’s Diagnostic Imaging Department installed a new Picture Archive and Communication System or PACS, which provides the ability to display, communicate, manage, and electronically store very large patient medical image files.
These electronic x-rays, accessible by a physician on a computer, replaced the old x-ray films held up to a light box.
Medical Director Dr. Phil Brown stated, “ED Pulsecheck, combined with the PACS system, offers the technological support to both patients and the clinicians treating them, that are the hallmark of CVMC’s balance of providing modern medicine and community connected care.”
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