Memorial Health Gets Electronic Medical Records “Booster Shot” From IBM

Memorial Health Gets Electronic Medical Records “Booster Shot” From IBM

Memorial Health System has selected IBM (NYSE: IBM) to bring medical records online and provide physicians with real-time access to medical information to help deliver better patient-centric care. Memorial, comprised of a 477-bed hospital and 15 facilities throughout Colorado Springs, has chosen a range of IBM hardware, software and services to accelerate the usage of electronic medical records for more than 1,400 physicians and staff that access its services.

“Seconds count in a medical trauma situation,” said John Slack, Memorial Health System’s chief medical officer. “Electronic medical records provide physicians with access to information where they need it, allowing them to make more informed decisions about patient care.” Memorial currently hosts more than 3.5 million electronic documents, growing at a rate of over 200,000 new documents per month.

As Memorial grew over the past several years, it ran out of physical storage room for paper files and began to move files to a secure off-site hosting facility. Meanwhile, hospital patients often arrived at a different location than where their paper files resided. With a paper-based system, Memorial found itself transporting files all over town.

Today, the more than 98 percent of Memorial’s medical staff who operate in independent practices access patient data such as insurance information and laboratory and radiology results through Memorial’s PhysicianLink, a Web-based portal for area physicians hosted on IBM WebSphere Portal Server and IBM System p hardware. Records move seamlessly between the hospital and the doctor’s office, allowing physicians to provide better and more efficient care for their patients.

Read the complete Press Release