Upgrade will allow students to book visits with doctor online
Administrators at the Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC) recently upgraded its medical records system from paper charts to computer-based, electronic filing.
“There are a couple things that are bi-products of the electronic medical record,” said Dr. Jim Davis, executive director of Student Health Services. “One is electronically being able to schedule appointments.”
“If you wake up in the middle of the night and you feel ill, you can go online and schedule your appointment. It’ll be confirmed first thing in the morning,” he said.
In the future, he said the program may even produce a printable parking pass so students can avoid getting a parking ticket if they forget to sign in.
The health center offers health care to all students, their spouses and their children. The fees are included as part of the tuition costs USU students pay each semester.
“We were fortunate enough to find a spot in the market … where we got a favorable bid,” Davis said. “So we’re really happy that we were able to do it as inexpensively.”
Saving income from student fees over the course of five years made the $55,000 software purchase possible, he said. After hardware costs are finalized, the project’s total pricetag will be in the range of $100,000.
“In the future, I would expect that these kinds of software programs will be accompanied by some decision-making software,” Davis said. “It may present you a list of diseases to consider, or a list of tests you should run.”
The software, called “Point-n-Click,” allows health center staff to quantify medical statistics at the touch of a button.
Citing a recent Diagnosis Frequency Report, Davis said some of the top reasons students come into the health center – besides cold and flu symptoms – are depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD).
“There’s a vast amount of information that can come out of this for helping the practice better meet the needs of the students,” he said.
According to an Appointment Summary report – a feature of the new software – the health center accommodates 60 to 80 patients a day.
Several hours of filing work has been eliminated. Health history forms can be done electronically before the patient arrives, which will make visits shorter and more concise, Davis said.
Work-study receptionist Alyssa Owen said that prior to the change her job included using a typewriter to complete charts.
“I love it. It cuts our work especially,” Owen said. “I think they said it makes a lot more work for the nurses, but ours is so easy.”
There used to be three work-study receptionists and now Owen is the only one. She said the extra time allows her to do a better job.
Davis said, “It helps me with staffing. How many staff do I need? And when I see the numbers start to dwindle, do I send somebody home?”
The software also makes directly billing insurance companies an option, thereby reducing out-of-pocket expenses for things such as lab fees, X-rays, and prescriptions.
In the past, patients with insurance would have to pay up front and have to wait to get reimbursed by their insurance provider.
Davis said he thinks the new system increases efficiency, but some members of his staff are a little upset about the change, because the new software requires a steep learning curve.
“It sucks,” said Licensed Practical Nurse Dinnene Jensen. “Not only me but the other nurses too, we’re not real knowledgeable on the computers. It seems like it takes more time, so we don’t have the one-on-one association with the patient.”
The new system is not a complete hindrance, Jensen said. Adapting to the change has been a struggle for the nurses, but they no longer have to worry about lost or misfiled charts.
Jensen said the receptionists at the front desk probably appreciate the new software and hardware more, because the patients can now check themselves in.
Davis said his staff has been “super” and has been working hard to adapt to the change. The staff took electronic training courses early in the semester to learn the software.
“I would hope that students understand what the health center is. It’s a doctors’ office, plus a lot of other things,” Davis said. “We specialize in students. We know what your schedules are, we know what illnesses befall you and we know how to take care of you as a student.”
“Let them know that we’re working on trying to improve that with electronic scheduling and electronic medical records,” he said.
– daniel.whitney.smith@aggiemail.usu.edu