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Congressman seeks to rebuild Gulf hospitals with technology

Case Management Weekly, October 26, 2005

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U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) wants the federal government to help the Gulf region build a state-of-the-art hospital system that improves safety, enhances information security, and increases flow in waiting rooms and patient treatment. He outlined his proposal in a Providence (RI) Journal op-ed column.

According to Kennedy, the use of technology to provide electronic medical records will reduce the time needed to glean a patient's history through discussion and scouring paperwork. Hospitals with strong information technology could order tests faster, give updated information to other medical staff, and follow patients from non-intensive spaces, all of which would increase flow though the hospital. Electronic scheduling could reduce the need for waiting areas.

Since hospitals in the region have been largely wiped out due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the federal government will provide funding to rebuild the infrastructure. The additional costs of IT excellence would be outweighed by operational savings the technology provides, said Kennedy.

Source: Patient Flow Weekly

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