• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

North Adams’ records go high tech

Healthcare Strategist Trend Watch, February 2, 2007

North Adams, a city of 14,000 people in the western part of Massachusetts, will become the first city in the nation to convert all of its medical records into electronic form next month, according to The Boston Globe.

The electronic records will be accessible to hospitals, doctors, and visiting nurse organizations. Medical professionals will have instant access to a patient's medical history, including drug allergies and other special needs. Proponents of electronic records say such systems will eliminate many medical errors and redundant procedures.

The transition to electronic records has not been quick, and has encountered some difficulties. Each family had to sign a consent form, allowing all family members' information to be put into the electronic record, and doctors have found the process of inputting data to be slow, costing them time they would normally spend seeing patients.

Brockton and Newburyport-two other Massachusetts cities-are hoping to convert to electronic records sometime this summer. A plan to make the city of Boston's records electronic has also been discussed by a group of physicians.

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive