Electronic medical records keep critical information in doctor’s reach
By Wendy J. Meyeroff
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Pretend you are an adult over age 70 going to a new cardiologist in the Denver area. Which of the following two scenarios would you like to have at the doctor’s office— Fill out what seems like endless paperwork regarding your current medications, allergies, and so on (hoping you remember it all). Or hand the doctor and his/her staff an easy way to access your information, which is back in your primary care doctor’s computer system.
The odds are you would choose the second option.
There is one group that has such a system: residents of communities built and managed by Erickson. Wind Crest in Highlands Ranch is one of those communities.
The Resident Health Portal (RHP) provides registered residents numerous ways to play a more interactive role in their own health care. It also provides their families with critical health information, and makes it easier for their primary care physicians and specialists to exchange information vital to the person’s continued health.
Defining the resident health portal
Erickson HealthSM professionals have an electronic medical records system called Centricity. It allows them instant access to the medical records of residents who are registered with the on-site Medical Centers at communities built and managed by Erickson.
“The Resident Health Portal extends the usefulness of Centricity by allowing residents the ability to manage their health information. Among the parts of their Centricity records, RHP shows residents: their chronic medical conditions; medications they are taking; any allergies; current insurance information, and emergency contact information,” says Diatta Harris, director of information technology at Erickson Communities.