Originally Published MX November/December 2005
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
Adoption of universal EHR systems is great news for device manufacturers in tune with their customers.
Brad Burg
What's a more reachable goal—the moon or universal electronic health records? Apparently, this country is going to find out. America famously hit that first target within the 10-year time frame set by President Kennedy, and in 2004, President Bush announced the same timetable for creating a nationwide health network. Today, there are signs everywhere that the new mission is under way, and medical device manufacturers are wise to make sure their products are onboard.
Consider the high-tech heart care that now exists in the Heartland. In Oklahoma and Indiana, healthcare facilities such as Indiana Heart Hospital (Indianapolis) and Saint Francis Heart Hospital (Tulsa) feature fully digital systems—paperless, wireless, and filmless. "All our records—the lab work, the pharmacy records, the radiology--they're not only stored, but fully accessible," says Robert S. Dolan, CEO of Saint Francis. "This isn't just data management, it's image management."
