Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH) has successfully transitioned to an electronic health record system that promises significant enhancements for patients and caregivers alike. Internally known as PEDS (Pediatric Electronic Data System) this state-of-the-art program captures all data related to patient care from throughout the multi-facility pediatric healthcare system, including information from radiology, the laboratory, pharmacy, inpatient care, outpatient care, rehabilitation, and urgent and emergency care all in one comprehensive system.
For the last 18 months, MCH has been working with Cerner, one of the nation’s leaders in automating the healthcare industry, to ensure that the integration of PEDS was a smooth and successful one.
This new system employs innovative technology to optimize management of patient care needs. Families now only need to register once at either the main campus or any of the hospital’s outpatient centers, and all data becomes part of a centralized record available on subsequent visits. Caregivers will have access to the entire panorama of data associated with a patient’s care within the system.
PEDS creates a framework to enhance decision-making for clinicians, enabling access to medical data through a secure login system from any place at any time, optimizing staff ability to make informed decisions in emergent situations. What's more, the system automates the process of checks and balances related to allergies and prescriptions, and alerts caregivers when a potential prescription is at odds with existing medications.
“The transition to PEDS supports MCH’s operating statement adopted in 2007 dictating that we provide world-class care in a highly automated environment,” said Ed Martinez, Chief Information Officer of Miami Children’s Hospital. “The PEDS system is the embodiment of that statement, offering the most current technology consistent with the MCH standard of care.”
MCH’s IT department was most recently recognized by IDG’s Computerworld as a top 100 organization in its 2012 Best Places to Work in IT. This is an annual ranking of the top 100 work environments for technology professionals based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding benefits, diversity, career development and training.
“MCH’s commitment to quality patient care is demonstrated by their vision to create an integrated and coordinated model of delivering care,” said Zane Burke, Cerner executive vice president. “This integration will help enhance patient safety and allow for greater communication between caregivers; allowing them to spend more time with the patients and less time searching for relevant information.”
About Miami Children’s Hospital
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Miami Children's Hospital® is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with more than 650 attending physicians and over 130 pediatric sub-specialists. The 289-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with several specialty programs ranked among the best in the nation in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional honor.
About Cerner
Cerner is contributing to the systemic change of health and care delivery. For more than 30 years Cerner has been executing its vision to make health care safer and more efficient. We started with the foundation of digitizing paper processes and now offer the most comprehensive array of information software, professional services, medical device integration, remote hosting and employer health and wellness services. Cerner systems are used by everyone from individual consumers, to single-doctor practices, hospitals, employers and entire countries. Taking what we’ve learned over more than three decades, Cerner is building on the knowledge that is in the system to support evidence-based clinical decisions, prevent medical errors and empower patients in their care.
Cerner solutions are licensed by approximately 9,300 facilities around the world, including more than 2,650 hospitals; 3,750 physician practices; 40,000 physicians; 500 ambulatory facilities, such as laboratories, ambulatory centers, cardiac facilities, radiology clinics and surgery centers; 800 home health facilities; 40 employer sites and 1,600 retail pharmacies.