TMCnet News
St. Francis breast health center gets software to help monitor patients: New program to improve patient monitoringApr 10, 2010 (Columbus Ledger-Enquirer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- St. Francis Hospital has implemented a new software program that helps track breast cancer patients more efficiently throughout treatment. Officials said the Priority Consult system should ensure a more timely delivery of services, including diagnosis. The patient navigation system also involves a dedicated breast-care coordinator, who monitors patients' progress. "We are trying to provide a continuum of treatment and have the patients be in contact with one person," said Lynn Thompson, administrative director of the Elena Diaz-Verson Amos Center for Breast Health, where the database was installed. The database lets clinical staffers and administrators know the status and next step for each patient in the system. It also records time in between each step and can remind the coordinator, called a nurse navigator, when she needs to follow up with a patient. "In other words, if a doctor refers you to an oncologist, it will track the time between when the request was made to when it was facilitated to make sure (the patient) does not fall through the cracks," Thompson said. Nancy Reeder, nurse navigator at the St. Francis center, will monitor a patient from the time she reports suspicious findings to when she receives treatment. Reeder will serve as an outreach educator and link between the breast health center and referring doctors. It's her job to get patients' records from the system into the hands of these physicians. Officials said this should expedite the process, since one person is handling records. Health care solutions company Priority Consult developed its breast-care software program two years ago after St. John's Hospital in Detroit approached the company and asked whether they could develop a database system for a breast-care center. At the time, Priority Consult only offered the program for brain and spine care. The pilot was completed in 2008. St. Francis' Center for Breast Health is located in the Rosemost Health Center at 3720 Woodruff Road. It offers a variety of diagnostic services, counseling and wellness programs for women. To see more of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ledger-enquirer.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Ga. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |