Souheil Haddad, MD
Similar to many physicians, Dr. Souheil Haddad and his partner have been researching what an electronic medical record (EMR) system could do for their practice. As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Haddad relies on inpatient and outpatient information from area hospitals and other providers in his practice daily. To obtain instant access to this information, Dr. Haddad found a solution in clinical messaging. Since, he has realized new efficiencies in his practice, which he states lead to improved safety and quality in patient care.
AMA: How did you decide to implement clinical messaging?
Dr. Haddad: We thought about getting an EMR for a long time, but we knew it would be a significant undertaking. We also don’t have a strong need for a longitudinal record, unlike many other types of practices. Most patients have their operation and require short-term follow up. Moreover, the costs of the EMR and its implementation are prohibitive.
AMA: How did you learn about and select a clinical messaging system?
Dr. Haddad: We received the technology through HealthLINC, a community-based organization leading the HIE effort on behalf of health care stakeholders in Monroe and surrounding counties in southern central Indiana. The initial HIE effort includes clinical messaging, but HealthLINC has also developed a multi-phase roadmap with its members to advance it’s HIE infrastructure.
AMA: How did you work clinical messaging into your current workflow?
Dr. Haddad: It was very simple to work into our workflow. Our office staff embraced the technology very early on. The search function is very easy; you just type in the patient’s name. Our staff has cut back on paper filing. We used to file the equivalent of one ream per week. Now I can look up patient’s results, and once I see that everything checks out, there’s no need to print them. We now ‘send’ to ourselves our own office documentation, history and physical examination, letters to referring physicians etc. This in-clinic documentation is therefore archived in the clinical messaging system transferring the clinical messaging system into an EMR-light solution. This documentation becomes available to us over the web from any location.
AMA: How has clinical messaging benefited your practice? Has it changed the way you practice?
Dr. Haddad: Because of the time savings, we are more efficient. Clinical messaging has also increased patient safety. We aren’t waiting for faxes that never come or are misplaced. I just check my inbox and check off items as they come in. I also have remote access. I can check the inbox wherever there is an Internet connection.
AMA: What are the drawbacks?
Dr. Haddad: It’s a problem when we lose our Internet connection. The fact that not all providers participate in the system is also a drawback. There will be more benefit to everyone once more providers adopt the technology.
AMA: What are the next Health IT steps for your practice?
Dr. Haddad: Electronic prescribing is the next step. HealthLINC will also assist with this implementation. We’re going to be involved in a pilot with HealthLINC. I think electronic prescribing will be a powerful tool to help decrease fraud, ensuring that valid prescriptions get to the right patients only.
AMA: What would you do differently?
Dr. Haddad: At one point, I requested from our main hospital that all inpatient data (lab results, pathology and operative reports, etc.) be sent to me using clinical messaging. It was too overwhelming. Now I’m back to receiving only outpatient labs and, on the inpatient side, pathology and operative reports as well as transcriptions (consults, history and physical, consults etc.). Overall, clinical messaging is a powerful tool in my practice. I would like to see more providers use the technology. Because of our current geography, we derive great benefit from clinical messaging. As more providers opt in, we will see even greater productivity.
(i)The American Medical Association (AMA) does not endorse the products or services referenced in this interview posting; (ii) the views presented are those of the individual physician and not the views of the AMA; and (iii) the physician has represented that the views presented are a balanced assessment by that physician of his/her personal experience and have not been prepared at the request of or for the benefit of any third party but solely to inform other interested, similarly situated physicians.
Clinical messaging is an effective way for hospitals and facilities to share patient results with physicians. It is an electronic system that securely delivers data such as: transcriptions, hospital data, and laboratory, pathology and radiology results. Incoming patient data from Bloomington Hospital, Southern Indiana Radiological Associates (SIRA), and authorized physicians, gets delivered automatically to an electronic clinical inbox. Physicians can review, edit, sign, annotate, assign to staff or forward reports electronically to collaborating physicians and other health care organizations in their community.
HealthLINC (formerly Bloomington E-Health Collaborative) is a community-based organization leading the health information exchange (HIE) effort on behalf of health care stakeholders in Monroe and surrounding counties in southern central Indiana. HealthLINC and its members are partnering with Health Bridge in Cincinnati, Ohio, to share HIE infrastructure using Axolotl technology. The initial HIE effort includes clinical messaging. HealthLINC has developed a multi-phase roadmap with its members to advance its HIE infrastructure.
