Saturday's Internet Edition, July 31, 2010.
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| Hospital staffers Director of Nurses Sharon Rust, Chief of Staff Dr. John Thomas, and Hospital Administrator Ladelle Bates look on as the Electronic Medical Records system is demonstrated. |
- In an effort to better serve the community and deliver an even higher quality of healthcare, Culberson Hospital staff and medical providers traveled to Austin recently to research the available options for implementing an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system. “We are moving forward enthusiastically on identifying a comprehensive EMR system that not only provides better clinical experiences for our patients but also meets the requirements of the President’s stimulus plan,” says Ladelle Bates, Hospital Administrator.
As part of the President’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the stimulus plan, hospitals and providers are required to install and implement an EMR system and use it in a “meaningful” matter by the year 2014. Those hospitals and doctors who choose not to implement an EMR system will be financially penalized beginning in 2015.
“It’s very important that we begin the process of talking with EMR vendors and find a software package that will work for the hospital and providers in a cohesive manner and that is why Preferred took two staff members and a provider to Austin to visit with a software vendor who might be able to help us,” comments Andy Freeman, CEO of Preferred Management. He explained that Preferred Management has been researching the issue for several months with various vendors and felt it was important to include hospital staff and doctors in the decision making process of selecting a partner software vendor. “This was a very good trip for everyone because each staff member and medical provider was able to sit in the same room and better understand how the EMR system not only impacts their job and their patients but how it also interacts and impacts their fellow employee’s job,” added Freeman.
Although an EMR system offers several advantages to the hospital staff and medical providers such a system also benefits patients as well. All patient information will be up-to-date and vital statistics about the patient will be clearly and prominently displayed on the computer screen.
Additional benefits for patients include eliminating handwritten orders to save time in recording patient information since transcription of provider notes will no longer be necessary, automatic reminders for some health maintenance tests and procedures and more than one person can access a patient’s records at one time meaning while the nurse is taking vital signs and recording them the doctor can be reviewing a patient’s file at the same time.
Column One
By Dawn Simpson
Thanks to the Women’s Service League, Van Horn will be celebrating the 4th of July with lots of fun activities. Check out their ad in this issue for times and events throughout the afternoon and evening this Saturday and come on out for the ‘party’ as we celebrate out birthday as a country.
Aren’t you glad you live in a country that values its freedom enough that we have a special holiday every year to celebrate our country’s founding and the freedoms that it represents.
On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress starting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. And as always, this most American of all our holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and barbeques around the country.
Perhaps you have seen the movie “1776”. If not maybe it will be on some TV channel this weekend and if so I encourage you to watch it. Even if you are not a history lover, as we are, you would enjoy seeing just how the forming of our Nation actually took place. It was not easy and was not done overnight. Here’s a little refresher on the chronology of events in case you have forgotten, or maybe never knew.
JUNE 7, 1776…. Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, receives Richard Henry Lee’s resolution urging congress to declare independence.
JUNE 11…. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston appointed to a committee to draft a declaration of independence. American army retreats to Lake Champlain from Canada.
JUNE 12 – 27…. Jefferson, at the request of the committee, drafts a declaration, of which only a fragment exists. Jefferson’s clean, or “fair” copy, the “original rough draught”, is reviewed by the committee. Both documents are in the manuscript collections of the Library of Congress.
JUNE 28…. A fair copy of the committee draft of the Declaration of Independence is read in Congress.
JULY 1 – 4…. Congress debates and revises the Declaration of Independence.
JULY 2…. Congress declares independence as the British fleet and army arrive at New York.
JULY 4 …. Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in the morning of a bright, sunny, but cool Philadelphia day. John Dunlap prints the Declaration of Independence. These prints are now called “Dunlap Broadsides.” Twenty-four copies are known to exist, two of which are in the Library of congress. One of these was Washington’s personal copy.
JULY 5…. John Hancock, president of the continental Congress, dispatches the first of Dunlap’s broadsides of the Declaration of Independence to the legislatures of New Jersey and Delaware.
JULY 6…. The Pennsylvania Evening Post of July 6 prints the first newspaper rendition of the Declaration of Independence.
JULY 8…. The first public reading of the Declaration is in Philadelphia.
JULY 9…. Washington orders that the Declaration of Independence be read before the American Army in New York – from his personal coy of the “Dunlap Broadside.”
JULY 19…. Congress orders the Declaration of Independence engrossed (officially inscribed) and signed by members.
AUGUST 2…. Delegates begin to sign engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence. A large British reinforcement arrives at New York after being repelled at Charleston, S.C.
JANUARY 18, 1777…. Congress, now sitting in Baltimore, Maryland, orders that signed copies of the Declaration of Independence printed by Mary Katherine Goddard of Baltimore be sent to the states.
Have a great 4th and don’t forget to fly your flag. Happy Birthday, America!
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
July 1st - Members of the Van Horn Volunteer Fire Department are slated to meet this evening at the Firehouse at 7 p.m.
July 2nd - Nothing scheduled at press time.
July 3rd - 4th of July Celebration at City-County Park. (See ad on Page 5)
July 4th - Independence Day. Attend the church of your choice today.
July 5th - Independence Day observed.
July 6th - The Van Horn Rotary Club will meet today at noon at Chuy’s Restaurant. Members of the Van Horn City Council are slated to meet this evening at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
July 7th - Nothing scheduled at press time.