Beaver Dam Community Hospitals has chosen to implement healthcare information technology from McKesson to provide a fast track to electronic health records.

BDCH selected the Paragon community healthcare information system to provide integrated clinical and financial information systems and comprehensive EHRs for its new state-of-the-art hospital and facilities. Additionally, the organization will implement McKesson's document management solution, which will enable doctors to sign electronic patient records online and streamline the management of information for all hospital personnel - from physicians to coders.

"BDCH is committed to optimizing technology to support our clinical excellence initiatives while also enabling us to more efficiently manage our financial performance," said Scott Abrams, BDCH vice president of finance and chief financial officer. "We knew we needed an integrated system, and Paragon is the perfect fit because we can access all patient information - clinical and financial - from one affordable solution to meet our mission of providing and coordinating exceptional healthcare."   

An electronic charting system will help streamline the charting and billing process by providing immediate access to important patient information whenever and wherever the care team needs it. Point-of-care applications, such as bar-code medication scanning and automatic documentation of administered medication, are designed to insure that physicians and nurses have the tools they need to provide the safest care possible.

With the implementation of Paragon, BDCH plans to continue to improve clinical quality and the patient's healthcare experience by enabling quicker, more informed decision making by clinicians, better communication and improved service efficiency. Improved clinical efficiency also is a key goal for BDCH as it works with McKesson's implementation team to redesign processes and achieve optimum value from the new EHR technology.

"We don't want to invest in a great system and then implement bad processes that reduce efficiency," said Abrams. "EHRs should help, not hinder, clinicians as they seek to improve one-on-one time with their patients."

Implementing an EHR also serves as a recruitment tool in BDCH's competitive market.

"Many physicians and clinicians are being trained in hospitals with electronic health records to access patient records," said Abrams. "When they complete their education, they expect to use electronic systems when they come to BDCH. The Paragon system ensures they will."