Electronic Recordkeeping Streamlines Neurology and Pain Management Practice

December 19, 2004

ROHNERT PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 2004--An electronic

recordkeeping system, ChartWare, that has been used in primary care and

pediatrics since it was designed, has helped improve healthcare for a totally

different class of patient: those suffering from intractable pain. " We

customized it ourselves, with help from ChartWare, and it has streamlined our

whole way of working, " says Laurie Killilea, clinic administrator for Newkirk

Neurology of San , California.

The practice added a vocabulary that covers all its specialized needs, such as

multiple sclerosis medications, Parkinson's disease symptoms and membrane

stabilizing drugs, and devised chart notes to deal with every stage of treatment

from medical history through diagnosis and follow-up visits to discharge. " It

was exacting work but the system did what we asked of it, " Killilea says.

The benefits are across the board, she adds. " Office procedures are more

efficient, delays have been reduced and the patients are more satisfied. " Dr.

Newkirk, the medical director, agrees. " It has exceeded my expectations, "

he says.

As they leave the office, some patients are handed detailed after-care

instructions, printed out for ease of reading. For others the information is

sent electronically to the lab, pharmacy or their primary care doctor. " Not

having to remember what we want them to do is a great relief for patients, "

Killilea says. " There's no time lag and no phone call to us a month later asking

what they are supposed to do. Besides improving the quality of treatment that

saves the office staff a lot of time. "

It saves paperwork too. In an office with one physician, two nurse

practitioners, three physical therapists and two acupuncture specialists,

transcription costs fell $10,000 in the first year.

The level of frustration dropped equally. " Someone was always using the file you

wanted, " Killilea recalls. " It was never where it should have been. " For

patients whose treatment has to be constantly monitored for insurance purposes,

the possibilities for error and time-wasting were substantial.

Now three or four people can use a file at the same time " and we always know

where it is, " including evenings and weekends when, in an emergency, the

physician on call doesn't have to remember the details of any one of his two

thousand patients but, instead, can simply access the information on a laptop.

It has also saved Dr. Newkirk the tedious work of going through charts at night.

" When the patient leaves the exam room, the chart is complete, " he says. " That

too is a great relief. "

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