It was a fairly normal Saturday afternoon; I opened the Gardner store at 10:00AM and had computers streaming in and out throughout the day. Around 1:30PM I looked at my brother and told him I needed to go to the emergency room. He helped me shut down the shop and drove me.
Within minutes I was rushed to an exam room and poked and prodded with tubes and wires. During all of this I was asked personal and family history, allergies, and questions I can’t remember. In all the commotion I seem to remember being interrogated by two or three people.
It wasn’t until Sunday morning while I was being hustled around in a wheelchair that I realized the power of technology in a medical setting. I thumbed through pages in my chart while waiting to be seen by a specialist and at the top of the page were my two allergies: hazelnut and asparagus.
I mentioned those only once in the very early stages of my intake and they followed me through my visit. Every menu and order had my allergies written or printed. You’re probably asking yourself what my allergies have to do with technology. I guess I would be too.
Over the years I’ve set up a handful of medical offices with electronic medical records (EMR) software. Each time I go through the process of connecting networked computers I ask why the need for such expensive software. EMR packages can cost tens of thousands of dollars and that’s for smaller offices with one or two doctors.
Technically I was a patient of the hospital this weekend which means I was inputted into a patient database. Each of my caregivers confirmed my allergies and other information contained in my electronic file. Each computer that was wheeled in and out of my room had access to the that vital information at the push of a button.
Medical records fall under a set of privacy rules governed by the Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) basically mandates complete patient privacy. Caregivers must make patient privacy first and foremost and cannot discuss information outside of the health institution.
Computer systems implemented in medical offices are designed to insure HIPAA compliance while allowing caregivers access to patient data. In a hospital setting data is stored and managed on a server and is disseminated only to those with permission to view the files. Patient records are not simply placed on a server and broadcast because that would completely eliminate privacy.
If you have a caregiver who is located away from the hospital campus they can still be part of the larger network provided they are given access permissions. Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnels allow a very secure connection between offices and the hospital allowing the two to share data.
It goes without saying that medical caregivers can give the best care with the most information in front of them. Creating and maintaining a secure network which allows the distribution of data at lightning speeds is an amazing feat. Each person responsible for my care clearly had access to properly updated information.
Had the system failed and I was given hazelnut it probably wouldn’t have been the end of the world. However, I imagined the implications of being allergic to something more serious with an improperly functioning system. Thankfully the hospital’s computer system is honed and I didn’t have to find out. Next time I give my allergies list I am putting beets at the top; I discovered Saturday night that I simply don’t like them.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him directly at (978) 413-2840 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)