Electronic health records under study
A system is being tested in hospitals and clinics on Kauai
An 18-month research study is under way to integrate an open-source electronic health records system in two hospitals and three rural clinics on Kauai as a test for the 12 state hospitals.
The system would include the Hawaii Health Systems Corp.'s West Kauai Medical Center, Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital and clinics in Eleele, Kalaheo and Waimea.
The Department of Defense is funding the program through the Telemedicine and Advanced Technologies Research Center.
The Pacific Telehealth & Technology Hui, a DOD/Veterans Administration venture headquartered at Tripler Army Medical Center, is collaborating with the University of Hawaii Telecommunications and Information Policy Group, Pacific Health Research Institute and MELE Health Information Systems to install the system, according to a news release.
They will deploy the health information system developed by the Department of Veteran Affairs, which has been described as one of the best health care information systems in the nation.
The system, called VistA (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture), is used at more than 1,400 VHA facilities, including 160 medical centers, as a patient care management system.
"Electronic health records systems improve patient care and lower health care costs," said Dr. Stanley Saiki Jr., director of the Pacific Telehealth & Technology Hui. "By bringing information to the critical points of care, this technology can significantly improve the quality of care these facilities provide patients and lower their operating costs by eliminating duplicate testing, errors and wasted resources."
The Hui pioneered development of the open-source (nonproprietary) information system technology at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center, a rural, 160-bed hospital and outpatient clinic in American Samoa, and has operated Hui OpenVista at three Oahu clinic sites.
The Pacific Telehealth & Technology Hui is a subsidiary of the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center under the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command.
The hui was formed in 1999 with support from U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.