Allscripts-Misys
Fremont Medical Center
In 2005, after 16 years of using an inefficient and dated medical charting system, Fremont Medical Center partnered with Allscripts to implement a new electronic health record system. Fremont realized an enormous increase in operational efficiency, which helped maximize its limited personnel without increasing workload or jeopardizing service to customers. Overall staffing per physician ratio was reduced by 20 percent, with some practices realizing a decrease of over 30 percent. Many team members were retrained into other areas, thus increasing the overall skill set of the Fremont team. Doing more with less not only helped the hospital save money but also helped increase employee resources to the Las Vegas community.
Results
- Pre-EMR, Fremont’s filing and chart copying staff included 10 full-time equivalents (FTEs) but post-EMR, Fremont retained only one FTE, an $18,792/ month reduction;
- Pre-EMR, chart supplies, forms expense and transcription costs accounted for $13,267 per month, $0.37 per customer and $6,2000 per month, respectively, while post-EMR those costs are now $0 per month for supplies, $0.11 for forms and $0 per month for transcription services;
- Pre-EMR, Fremont paid $13,882 per month for corporate office space paid to a non-related landlord. Post-EMR Fremont eliminated this cost since corporate support staff moved to reclaimed medical records space;
- Pre-EMR, nurse calls and customer service requests reached approximately 1,000 requests per day, but post-EMR that number has decreased to approximately two requests;
- Pre-EMR, prior authorization or managed care insurance company requirements, had an average turnaround time of 36 to 48 hours. Post-EMR that time decreased to less than eight hours;
- Pre-EMR, immunization recall took several days as it was difficult to identify patients, but post-EMR that number has decreased to one hour;
- Pre-EMR, quantifying the outstanding work load of MDs and licensed staff required manual count of linear feet of charts and total inches of paper within an in-box, while post-EMR Fremont uses an electronic count of outstanding lab results, phone calls, consult reports by doctor, by shift, by location and by day.
***Submitted by Ernest G. Barela, President and COO, Fremont Medical Centers, Las Vegas, NV, Ernest.Barela@fmcnv.com & Leigh Burchell, Director, Center for Community Health Leadership, Allscripts, Leigh.Burchell@allscripts.com.
Published: January 26, 2009
