(Camden, New Jersey) Cooper University Hospital has launched its new electronic health record system, EPIC, going “live” throughout the hospital on April 30, 2009. Cooper is the first hospital in South Jersey to adopt an electronic health record for all of its patients.
This new, health-information system allows physicians to access all of their patients’ electronic medical records whether they are in the main hospital, the emergency department or one of Cooper’s four outpatient offices. It can be used for order entry, results review, prescription printing, discharge instructions, surgery scheduling and documentation, charging, nursing assessments and more.
“Whether patients are admitted to the hospital through the emergency department or being treated at one of Cooper’s outpatient offices, their complete medical record, including laboratory, radiology and pathology results, will be easily accessible through one, computerized system,” said Emma Brandon, R.N., M.H.A., Director of Clinical Information Systems and Information Technology.
Initiated in 2006, this five-year, $30 million project began with the Emergency Department and four out-patient offices. The entire project will take approximately three more years to complete, with more than 50 satellite offices throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania to outfit.
The final phase of the project will give patients the ability to view their personal health records via their own computers through a secure website.
“This will lead to more efficient, safer, and higher-quality care by improving communication between patients and their caregivers, and enabling patients to more effectively participate in their own care,” adds Brandon.