Partners continues to make headway with a network-wide longitudinal medical record (LMR), which will play a key role in integrating patient care and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivered throughout the Partners system when fully implemented. Among other benefits, the LMR will help to improve accessibility of patient data, encourage health maintenance efforts, reduce medication errors and reduce the cost of medications.
According to Phyllis Jen, MD, medical director of Brigham Internal Medical Associates, one of the advantages of converting to the Partners LMR is that it’s Windows-based, so navigation is easier. “You can move from module to module – from ‘results’ to ‘health maintenance’ – very quickly,” said Jen.
BWH has been using its own electronic medical record system for nearly 10 years. Currently, BWH physicians are able to access data from MGH via the LMR. Soon, data will be shared throughout all Partners organizations. To date, there are more than 1,300 provider users of the LMR in the Partners system. All primary care practices at BWH are up and running, and the LMR is beginning to be implemented in BWH specialty clinics. In addition to adding more users, the LMR Partners implementation team is enhancing the web version of the LMR and working to build in more features, such as warnings for drug-drug interactions, prescribing information, structured notes, and patient-specific reminders and alerts.
BWH physicians who join Jen on the Partners LMR Combined Leaders Advisory Committee include David Bates, MD, Robert Goldszer, MD (co-chair), Peter Schur, MD, and Heng Soon Tan, MD.