Geisinger Wyoming Valley and Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre launch of electronic records is already making a difference in care, reports the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal.
In addition to storing patient data, Geisinger's system scans through a patients chart, probing from conflicting information, informing the doctor of allergies and flagging potentially dangerous medication interactions. In the past, doctors and nurses would have to looking through the chart and rely on the patient to inform them of all drugs he or she took, opening the door for human error. And, of course, it eliminates the old joke about doctor's handwriting, since everything is typed into a computer program.
This decreases the chances of anyone reading a patient's chart incorrectly, but medical professionals say they would be unwise to trust the computer too much.
Read the full story here.