Studies Confirm Technology Implementation is Key to Reducing Medical Errors
Pathology expert explains how investment in medical IT can help providers and labs bridge gaps
New Hyde Park, NY (PRWEB) April 28, 2005
More than five years ago, the Institute of Medicine found that nearly 100,000 people die each year as a result of medical errors. Today, studies are confirming that the implementation of “HIT” – Health Information Technology – is a key factor in the effort to reduce these errors. However, though momentum is building among larger medical institutions, many individual healthcare providers are evading the e-medicine call.
“Health Information Technology can do for the medical community what ATMs and online banking have done for the financial industry,” notes Dr. George Hollenberg, M. D., a leading NY-area pathologist and founding director of Acupath Laboratories. “Yet, many in the field are resistant, citing the costs of equipment, the ‘learning curve’ involved with implementation and training, and the confusion over which technologies in the seemingly-endless HIT market are right for them,” Dr. Hollenberg adds. There are concerns, too, based on several recent conflicting reports that suggest technology may have led to more errors in certain controlled studies.
But a significant body of evidence is accumulating that confirms the IT role in reducing errors. Dr. Hollenberg points to a review of hospital admissions published in the Annals of Internal Medicine this month, which found that more than half of the 151 patients in the review had at least one mistake in their admission charts involving medication. Of those, more than a third of the discrepancies found could have led to “moderate to severe discomfort or clinical deterioration.” What’s more, the American Academy of Family Physicians enrolled eight of its member practices in a study, which will be presented at the AAFP’s annual conference next month, and found more than 660 lab-related errors committed during the course of the research. Those errors, the study reports, resulted in 47 delays in care, 30 reports of emotional problems, 15 reports of physical problems, and four reports of financial problems for patients.
“The bad news is that medical errors persist, and that they have the potential to do harm to our patients,” Dr. Hollenberg says. “But the good news is that the Electronic Health Records systems needed to reduce these errors are available, and becoming more affordable and user-friendly. Health care providers are often surprised by the actual reduction in costs and improvement in productivity that come with the implementation of EHRs,” he adds.
At Acupath Laboratories, for example, Dr. Hollenberg has pioneered a patented Peel-Off Labeling System, which was shown in a clinical study to provide 100% transcription clarity and a 91% increase in efficiency for providers who use it instead of handwritten chart notes. In addition, Acupath utilizes a comprehensive electronic network that can store test results, facilitate error-free chart entry and updates, provide statistical analysis and output color-coded diagnostic reports.
“The advanced record-keeping technologies we use at Acupath actually enable us to spend more time on the actual practice of pathology, as well as on the interaction with others involved in a patient’s continuum of care,” Dr. Hollenberg explains. “We are known not only for our clear and correct results and reports, but also for our willingness and availability to consult at length with physicians on more challenging cases or difficult diagnoses. That’s hard to do if you’re expending so much time and effort on the hand-written practice of medicine today.”
About Dr. George Hollenberg
Dr. George Hollenberg, M. D. is an authority in the fields of pathology, clinical pathology and dermatopathology with expertise in the areas of dysplastic nevi, melanoma, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer. Board-certified in Pathology and Dermatopathology, Dr. Hollenberg is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists, The American Society of Dermatopathology and the AMA. He has published articles on skin, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer, and is the Consultant in Dermatopathology to The North Shore University Hospital Center. As the founding director of Acupath Laboratories, Inc., Dr. Hollenberg supervises the analysis of tens of thousands of biopsies per year, using the latest cutting-edge technology in histology and immunocytochemistry, as well as the latest advances in computerized report preparation.
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