Tarpon Springs, FL (February  15, 2012) - Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital in Tarpon Springs has said farewell to the days of handwritten physician and provider orders for all inpatients in favor of a new, computerized system designed to drastically reduce medical errors and speed up patient care.  With the launch of its new computerized provider order entry system, or CPOE, Helen Ellis is now at the forefront of new medical technology designed to improve patient safety, and will rank in the top 16.3 percent of the nation’s hospitals for having a fully-integrated electronic medical records system.*

“This is a gratifying time for everyone in the Helen Ellis family, because it’s another instance where we’re implementing new technology to make our hospital the best it can be,” said Bruce Bergherm, president and chief executive officer of Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital.  “I’m excited for our employees and the medical staff and proud of their efforts to bring this project to fruition.  But the real winners are the patients because CPOE will help us deliver safer, superior care.”

Studies show 770,000 Americans are harmed or die each year from adverse drug events, and more than half of medication errors occur during the ordering process, many from illegible and incomplete orders.  Computerized provider order entry systems are widely regarded as the technical solution to medication ordering errors.  Implementing CPOE means physicians actually place orders directly into the electronic medical record, eliminating paper, reducing errors and decreasing the amount of time elapsed from physician order to patient care.  Published studies report that CPOE reduces medication errors in the hospital between  81-86 percent and saves hundreds of billions in annual costs. 

Philip Smith, M.D., vice president and chief medical information officer for Adventist Health System (AHS), the operating company for Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, says implementing a full-scale CPOE system at other AHS hospitals facilitated broad clinical care improvements. 

“In the months following our pilot sites in 2009, adverse drug effects were greatly reduced, several clinical rules resulted in a change in physician behavior to improve patient care, and there was a significant reduction in the number of times physicians had to be called to clarify medication orders, minimizing delays and freeing up pharmacists to invest time in rounding with physicians on the nursing units,” said Dr. Smith. 

Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital employees have been preparing for the transition for several months.  Dr. Smith says the effort of learning something new will undoubtedly benefit patients. 

“CPOE is safer – there’s less chance of misinterpretation of handwritten orders.  It’s also more efficient because there are fewer steps, and fewer steps means reduction of errors,” Dr.  Smith said.

“With providers entering orders directly into the system, we are not relying on someone else’s interpretation of what the plan is. We’re removing the middle man between the provider and the patient’s treatment.”

“Through their commitment to make a fairly radical change in how they deliver patient orders, our physicians and providers have shown their commitment to doing what’s best for patients and what’s best for Helen Ellis,” said Paul Hoover, vice president of business development for Helen Ellis.  “The bottom line is CPOE is better medicine. It offers tremendous gains in patient safety and quality.”

About Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital:

Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, located in Tarpon Springs, is a member of The Florida Hospital network of the Adventist Health System, the largest health care provider in the state. Each year The Florida Hospital network cares for nearly one million residents and visitors each year.  As a 168-bed, full-service hospital, Helen Ellis Memorial serves both the Pinellas and Pasco communities of west central Florida.  For more information, please visit our website:  hemh.com

###