The receptionist holds out her hand for your referral and X-rays. You snap your fingers ruefully. Yes, you do have that all-important referral from your primary care physician… but it’s at home neatly set out on your counter to bring to this appointment. The X-rays? Oops, you forgot to ask for copies.

Wouldn’t it be great if a computer remembered these things for you and relieved you of the inconvenience? Doylestown Hospital is making that very scenario a reality with the Doylestown Clinical Network (DCN). Through the DCN, medical practices that utilize electronic medical records (EMRs) are able to rapidly share documentation and health information with other DCN physicians over the Internet. It’s a modern, valuable system that’s saving time, cutting costs, supporting better health, and increasing safety for patients.

Unlocking network power
Electronic medical records, the keys that unlock full DCN capabilities, replace paper charts with the same information in a computerized format. “Three of our affiliated practices are now using full EMR systems,” says Rick Lang, Doylestown Hospital’s chief information officer. “Over the next 18 months, we expect that the vast majority of primary and referral physicians will begin to use them.” And people who use the services of Doylestown Hospital are going to be pleased with the results.

“Medical staff share information seamlessly from practice to practice,” comments Lang. “When you visit specialists on the network, they’ll have your allergies, medications, medical problems, and other clinical information right on their screens. Laboratory results also post automatically to the patient’s EMR for easy viewing. ”

The DCN is particularly powerful in emergencies. If someone with an EMR enters the emergency room for treatment, physicians on duty can instantly access critical clinical information that safely guides care, even if the patient can’t communicate health history facts.

Reducing duplication, boosting patient safety
Thanks to the Doylestown Clinical Network, carrying documents between offices and retrieving testing results will become errands of the past for many patients and physician office staff. Medical records are far less likely to get lost and duplication of effort – two physicians ordering the same lab test, for example – is dramatically reduced. Each physician seeing an individual patient has more complete, readable information that helps that physician assess well-being, diagnose conditions and order appropriate testing. When deciding treatment courses, the DCN safeguards patient safety, too. Inclusive information helps physicians avoid pitfalls such as prescribing conflicting medications. Additionally, the DCN zealously shields privacy on multiple levels.

As more practices adopt EMRs, the DCN will grow accordingly. With such powerful capabilities, it's easy to see why the system is winning fans quickly. In fact, Verizon is the newest booster. The company's philanthropic Verizon Foundation recently awarded a $25,000 grant to Doylestown Hospital to help implement this new communications tool. Says Daniel J. Reavy, director of external affairs for Verizon Pennsylvania, “We believe this initiative is aligned with Verizon's vision of advancing technology that touches people's lives by focusing on education and health and family safety in the 21st century.”