By E-Health Reporter Latin America at HIMSS 13
Gonzalo Grebe is the General Manager of the Las Condes Clinic, the first hospital in the region to be certified by HIMMS, the American organization that evaluates the level of development of information technology projects in healthcare. Speaking to E-Health Reporter Latin America together with Helen Sotomayor, the Information Technology Manager, and René Canave,Deputy Manager of Systems, he described how the Chilean institution is focusing on e-health to position itself as an example for Latin American medicine.
E-HEALTH REPORTER LATIN AMERICA: Could you describe the process implemented to computerize the medical departments at the Las Conde Clinic?
Helen Sotomayor: We started out by developing a plan to improve the information services we were delivering our clinics. To do this, we asked about the problems that the doctors were having, the challenges in patient treatment that came with the growth of our clinic and the availability of information at all times. In response to these questions we set out 3 pillars for our project: to make information available, to make it secure and to connect the different systems.
EHRLA: What were the main difficulties you encountered when implementing the system?
HS: In 2009 we implemented the Cerner electronic file, which set a standard for us at a determined level of medical technology. We had to implement a solution that could validate, electronically, the Six Correct Methods of Administration of Medications.
EHRLA: Now that you are computerized, what’s the next step?
Gonzalo Grebe:I think that the big challenge for the future is to see what we can do with all the information that is now starting to be managed in the different phases and databases that have been integrated with the system. We are assessing what we are doing and how the process can be improved or made more efficient with the amount of information we have been managing and the level of integration we have achieved.
EHRLA: Are you currently working with this information?
René Canave: Our software implementation has matured. Primarily in the departmental systems and the adoption of the electronic health record, but we still need to take a step further in terms of its management.
EHRLA: What are the benefits of having a FULL HL7 standards system?
GG: It gives us greater security if tomorrow we decide to switch to another system. We have been adopting the standards that we have seen during the implementation of these systems and we believe that we have made progress in the right direction.
EHRLA: How has the use of the electronic health record affected the patient?
HS: From the moment the patient is admitted into the clinic, be they an outpatient or hospitalized, their information starts to flow into the systems, which are all integrated. What we are also seeking in order to provide more efficient care is to ensure that this information is managed securely. Also, that the necessary information is available at all times. So, wherever the patient is being treated, all their information will be available. This is added value.
GG: Furthermore, the electronic file creates a clear medical report instantaneously, which can be analyzed by both the patient and the doctor in charge of their treatment.
Related News: Clínica Las Condes Receives International Recognition for Health IT Adoption
