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Doctors keep patients’ info in the palms of their hands
By Rachel Pleasant
Staff Writer
A system in place since late September at Roper St. Francis Healthcare facilities is transforming the way doctors work and growing in popularity.
The mobile information system developed by Mercury MD is called MData Enterprise and allows doctors to receive patient information on their handheld PDAs.
Roper St. Francis is the first hospital in the state to use the technology, though the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System recently adopted the system in its two hospitals.
Since its introduction at Roper St. Francis on Sept. 28, 63 physicians have subscribed to the service, but Karen Linder, a registered nurse and application analyst for the information technology department at Roper St. Francis, receives regular inquiries about the system.
The goal is to eventually have 300 physicians using the technology.
One of the MData users is Dr. Lars Runquist, a cardiologist, who recently gave visitors an MData demonstration and explained the differences the technology is making in his work.
“In taking care of my patients, getting information is critical and having quick access is very helpful,” Runquist said.
MData was developed by Durham, N.C.-based Mercury MD, a private software company that focuses on health care and boasts 200 hospital customers, representing more than 66,000 physicians.
The system works by interfacing with existing hospital information systems, collecting and sorting data, including a patient’s vital signs, lab and radiology results, and medical records.
Doctors who own a PDA, in Runquist’s case a Palm Treo, can subscribe to the service at no cost. By doing so, they have access to patient information via their wireless device at any time from any location.
Recently, Runquist attended a function at his child’s school and received patient information via his PDA, and every morning he uses the system during his commute.
Runquist and his fellow doctors simply enter a code and then punch a button that allows them to “synch” to the MData system, allowing them to download the most up-to-date patient information available.
The benefits of the system, Runquist said, are multi-fold.
It saves doctors time because it cuts down on searching for charts or tracking down nurses for information, allowing them to instantly relay information to patients as soon as it appears on their PDA, he said.
Also, because the system provides doctors with a patient’s history within the Roper St. Francis Healthcare system, doctors can make more informed decisions about treatment without relying on a patient’s memory.
“A lot of patients are not very good historians,” Runquist said.
Finally, Runquist said, the system allows him to better prioritize his day and react quicker to a patient’s needs.
“If I’m at home and I get a call, I can pull up a lot of the info I wouldn’t have,” Runquist said. “I can also look at the information and decide whether I need to keep doing what I’m doing or go and do something else.”
The system also allows physicians to track outpatients because lab tests taken within the Roper St. Francis system will be available via PDA.
Roper St. Francis is also installing and building an electronic medical record and electronic order entry system, which will allow the system to operate on a virtually paperless basis.
Rachel Pleasant is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her at rpleasant@charlestonbusiness.com.
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