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UNC Health Care introduces innovative electronic system for access by referring physicians to patients' medical records
CHAPEL HILL - UNC Health Care has launched an innovative electronic communications system that enables referring physicians to access their patients' medical records as they are receiving care at UNC.
Oct. 31, 2007
UNC Health Care introduces innovative electronic system for access by referring physicians to patients' medical records
CHAPEL HILL - UNC Health Care has launched an innovative electronic communications system that enables referring physicians to access their patients' medical records as they are receiving care at UNC.
This system will greatly enrich patient care and dialogue between the patients’ UNC Health Care physicians and his or her primary and referring physicians.
“We are hopeful that this effort will improve our communication with our referral base, and we are one of the very few institutions in the country to now have this capability,” said Dr. Robert Berger, director of medical informatics at UNC Health Care.
Web Clinical Information System (WebCIS) electronically stores medical records, such as patient demographics, medications, allergies, lab results and health care history. Physicians at UNC Health Care can access any patients in the system. Now, external physicians will be able to access their patients’ information, as well.
UNC Health Care began using a clinical information system internally in 1992. In 2000 those records became available though a Web browser and the system changed its name to WebCIS.
Previously referring physicians received their patients’ information from UNC Health Care via fax, and they could only see specific notes. With this new technological advancement, physicians are able to view many different aspects of their patients’ medical records, including x-rays, lab results and diagnostic reports. The referring physicians, however, will not be able to look at psychiatric notes online due to their sensitive nature.
In addition to referring physicians being able to see their patients’ medical records, they also are able to directly communicate with UNC Health Care physicians through WebCIS.
“One of the ways the new system is a tremendous improvement is its phone message function,” said Raj Gopalan, director of information services at UNC Health Care. “This characteristic will enhance both communication and patient service.”
UNC Health Care focused closely on patient privacy to ensure that the system is secure and safe.
Referring physicians will receive a fax with instructions on how to gain access to WebCIS. The physicians will then complete a form on the Web. After UNC Health Care authenticates the data, the physicians will receive a password to gain entry to the system.
WebCIS is just one of the new tools that UNC Health Care is using to ensure high quality patient care.
Linda Jones, referral coordinator for Dr. Phillip Singer at Hillsborough Medical, says that one of the benefits of WebCIS is that it “gives doctors the opportunity to review patient information before the patient calls with questions.”
Another benefit of WebCIS is its convenience for the referring physicians.
“I can already see that WebCIS is going to be very helpful to us in the office,” said Phyllis Ferguson, front office manager for Dr. William Garlick’s family medicine practice in Pittsboro. “When patients come in for their follow-up appointments, the doctor can access their information efficiently, and we don’t have to wait for it to be faxed over to us.”
Media contact: Lynn Wooten, (919) 966-6046 or lwooten@unch.unc.edu
ABOUT UNC HEALTH CARE
The UNC Health Care System is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care. UNC Health Care is comprised of UNC Hospitals, which is ranked among the top 50 in the nation in six specialties by U.S. News & World Report and ranked one of the country’s 41 best on the Leapfrog 2007 Top Hospitals list; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; community practices; home health and hospice services in seven central North Carolina counties; and Rex Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County. UNC Health Care also manages Chatham Hospital in Siler City.