Getting a Jump on 2013 Compliance

We’ve all played phone tag – arranging lunch with a friend, scheduling a dentist appointment, maybe organizing a surprise birthday party. Leaving successive messages for each other can be funny or mildly annoying in our personal lives, but if I were a patient in a hospital’s emergency department, I certainly wouldn’t want phone tag about my test results to delay my treatment. 

For the eleventh consecutive year, the Joint Commission’s #2 National Patient Safety Goal centers around communications. For the past five years, the goal has specifically included “report critical results of tests and diagnostic procedures on a timely basis.” It sounds simple, yet many institutions struggle with communications between the Lab and the ED, Radiology, ordering physicians….it can get pretty complicated to deliver results to the right person quickly. 

Aunt Minnie recently posted a solution story on their site about EMH Healthcare in Elyria, Ohio. EMH Healthcare is using our Critical Test Results Management (CTRM) solution to improve the workflow for both radiologists and ER physicians and provide a more efficient communication process. 

 "We were manually communicating our critical test results," said Michelle Dossa, Manager, Department of Imaging Services, EMH Healthcare. "Now, the ER doctors immediately see an alert on the EMR dashboard. We have also eliminated the need for radiology nurses to track reports and dictations, maintain a document log, and make calls to notify ER physicians," said Dossa. 

What a great way to start the New Year, with a goal for 2013 already checked off!