Emergency departments across Virginia are now connected by a tech system that lets doctors share real-time information about patients, drug use and care plans. Virginia is the first state in the country to take this step.
The system has been in place now for about a month. Debbie Condrey, chief information officer with Virginia’s Department of Health, says she received a call from an emergency doctor on the first day the system went live. The doctor had received an alert, about a patient he was treating.
“He saw that this patient had been in an emergency department in Virginia 270 times,” Condrey recalls. “And he was able to work with that patient to establish that the patient was homeless and to start connecting the patient with a care coordinator, social worker, to get the person the appropriate care.”
In the United States, 5-percent of patients account for nearly a quarter of emergency room visits.
The new system will let doctors see what tests have already been performed, what drugs have been prescribed, and any end-of-life care decisions that have already been made.
The goal is to reduce healthcare costs, and provide better care.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
