Health department streamlines medical records system
Apr. 21—Visits to the local clinic will be more efficient after upgrades to its record-keeping.
The St. Joseph Health Department clinic's transition to electronic medical records began this week. Typically, each visitor received a new paper chart when they came to the clinic, which presented issues with continuity of care if a patient needed to make multiple visits.
"We weren't able to provide a good understanding of what you'd been here for previously," Clinic Supervisor Holly Hazzard said. "Us having that electronic medical record will really help us with that, because you'll have the one chart that we're able to pull up and find your information for."
Other paper forms visitors filled out were also converted to electronic forms. Now, many of the questions are asked by a nurse or front desk staff member, who then fills in the information.
"There are still some paper documents that you will fill out during your appointments," Hazzard said. "But for the most part, we're trying to put everything into your chart."
Like other medical offices, the health department will ask for ID and insurance information, but insurance is not required for vaccinations at the clinic.
"When we were doing things based on paper documents or based on just what you were telling us at the window, that led to human error," she said. "We are trying to limit those now."
The conversation about moving to electric documentation began after a flood inside the health department.
"Luckily, we didn't lose any important documents that we needed, but that really gave us the kick that we needed to really look into some type of electronic system to help us better maintain our records," she said.
The last major change was around 2010, when the health department participated in ShowMeVax, which is a state data system where health care providers and pharmacies record immunizations they have given.
When a patient visits a different clinic, the clinic can view other immunizations given in Missouri. With the health department's latest move to electronic records, patients will experience quicker and more efficient visits.
"Our system speaks directly with the state immunization database," she said. "So all of the immunizations that we do goes directly into the state database, which means that any provider in the state of Missouri can access those records."
