Access E-Forms on Demand Solution Helps Providence Holy Family Hospital Meet Clinical Document Needs

Dec. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- At Providence Holy Family Hospital in Spokane, Wash., the leadership team identified several paper forms issues that were limiting staff productivity and creating inconsistency in chart preparation. To solve these problems, Holy Family turned to the Access e-Forms Repository from Access. This is part of the Access Intelligent Forms Suite, the world’s leading electronic forms (e-forms) management, automation and workflow solution.

Surgeons at Holy Family perform more than 35 procedures a day, and while every patient’s chart must contain standard forms, individual surgeons also have specific documents to add, such as discharge instructions and pre- and post-operative information. In addition, a surgeon could ask for customized documents for each procedure performed.

Previously, the burden was on staff members and volunteers to try to remember each surgeon’s documentation preferences, and prepare the chart accordingly. The lack of consistency interrupted the flow of the patient through the surgical area, as staff retrieved documents one at a time.

Access e-Forms Repository enables Holy Family to both standardize the core set of patient forms, and to create procedure-specific surgical packets for each surgeon. The forms then print on demand with patient data pulled from the facility’s MEDITECH system, and with barcodes.

“With Access e-Forms Repository, we’ve removed variation from the chart preparation process, and our staff members and volunteers can select the exact forms and surgical packets a surgeon wants without the added burden of pulling each form individually and applying a patient label,” Carman said. “The chart is always ready at the time the patient presents for their procedure, and our surgeons are happy that we’re meeting their documentation needs.”

Access EFR is also providing new efficiency in the family maternity department. Here, documentation preparation is guided by the mother’s due date, enabling staff members to get charts ready in advance of many visits. However, as women often go into labor before their due date, this can create a scramble to get the chart ready. Access EFR enables this department to adapt on the fly, easily creating an initial packet and then re-printing certain electronic forms on demand if needed. Completed forms are scanned into the DocuWare ECM system, which recognizes the forms barcode and auto-indexes forms with the correct patient’s electronic health record.

“In the family maternity department, just one click prints all the required patient forms,” Carman said. “This provides the flexibility needed for mothers who come in advance of their due dates or, for example, who go into natural labor instead of needing a caesarean procedure as planned.”

The Anticoagulation Clinic at Holy Family sees a high volume of patients each day, and these patients have regularly recurring visits. The same is true of the Pharmacotherapy Clinic, and these patient populations often overlap. With the intuitive design tools offered by Access e-Forms Repository, staff members in these clinics have improved the delivery of educational materials.

“Using Access e-Forms Repository, we’ve created customized education packets for patients that improve safety by making individuals better informed about their medications and treatment,” Carman said. “These conveniently print with the other chart materials, making it easy to manage for our staff to do their work efficiently and to see more patients.”

About Providence Holy Family Hospital
Providence Holy Family Hospital is a progressive, full-service, 272-bed hospital offering a full range of medical and surgical services as well as specialty support and outpatient services Holy Family is among the largest 25 employers in Spokane County, Washington, with over 1,000 employees and more than 180 physicians representing most medical specialties.

About Access
Access is the world’s leading electronic forms (e-forms) management, automation and workflow software provider. Our solutions transform any paper-intensive forms process into a paperless, collaborative workflow. Hundreds of hospitals worldwide are using Access solutions to improve patient care and safety, cut costs and enhance electronic health records (EHR), patient safety and downtime planning initiatives. Learn more at http://www.accessefm.com

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Access is the world’s leading electronic forms management, automation and workflow provider. Our solutions transform any paper-intensive forms process into a paperless, collaborative workflow.