Central Carolina Hospital Launches Digital Health Record System Launch Key in Expanding Patient Care

SANFORD, NC, April 11, 2013 (Press-News.org) Central Carolina Hospital moves further into the digital age this week. On April 9th the hospital moved from a reliance on paper records to primarily electronic ones. This new records process means increased patient safety, reduced costs and increased access to patient's medical record by his or her physician. Hospital staff and area physicians have been in training the last two months in readiness for the transition.

According to Doug Doris, CEO, "Electronic medical records allow our physicians and clinical staff access to a patient's complete record, instantly 24 hours a day." Mr. Doris believes patient care is greatly enhanced. "This will provide access to the latest patient information including vital signs, lab results, medications, radiology scans - even previous hospital stays, and more; all of which are used in making clinical decisions and delivering the best patient care" The new system is also secure; following security standards set forth by the Federal Government, and is fully HIPPA compliant.

Information will no longer be handwritten, but keyed in electronically, making patient information available in a timely manner, legible and kept up to date constantly throughout a patient's stay.
Electronic medical records also allow a patient's physician to securely access his or her charts from remote locations, such as the physician's office. Dr. Christopher Wood, Central Carolina's Physician Champion of the project and area physician agrees it is important that the hospital and doctor share information. "It provides better coordination of care, can cut unnecessary costs and reduce medical errors."

Patient care is what the electronic medical record is all about. For patients it means an increase in safety, alleviating medication errors due to illegibility, and the availability of medication histories. It can also reduce costs by eliminating duplicate procedures across multiple health providers.

ABOUT CENTRAL CAROLINA HOSPITAL
Central Carolina Hospital is a 137-bed acute care hospital that serves the health care needs of Lee County and surrounding communities. With over 100 physicians on staff, the hospital offers a wide range of specialties including cardiology, orthopedics, general surgery, obstetrics, gynecology, otolaryngology, emergency medicine, gastroenterology, hospitalist services, nephrology, hematology, urology, podiatry, dentistry, pulmonary medicine, primary care provider network, ear nose and throat (ENT) provider network, cardiology provider network and a women's care provider network. Hospital services include emergency room, physical and occupational therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, diagnostic imaging and radiology, inpatient and outpatient surgery, maternity services, nutritional counseling by clinical dietitians, and diagnostic cardiac catheterization. http://www.centralcarolinahospital.com

Committed to providing quality care to the community, the hospital has earned numerous disease-specific quality designations:

• Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers
• American Heart Association Get with the GuidelinesSM Gold Plus Performance Achieve¬ment Award for Heart Failure, January 2013
• American Heart Association Get with the GuidelinesSM Gold Plus Performance Achieve¬ment Award for Stroke Silver Plus, January 2013
• Joint Commission Advanced Certification for Heart Failure
• CIGNA Quality Center for Heart Failure