Alaska audiologist finds the Federal EHR is filled with time-saving benefits
Dr. Tiffany McDonald wants all her peer audiologists across VA to hear the good news. The time-saving capabilities in the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) make it a “game changer” for managing workflows and providing effective, efficient audiology care for Veterans.
Streamlined operations save time
McDonald is a super user for the Alaska VA Healthcare System, which went live with the Federal EHR on Oct. 24. In the brief period since the transition, she has identified and implemented a host of productivity steps, including auto-texts and order favorites, that are streamlining the daily operations for the four-person team of audiologists serving Alaska.
One of those time-saving benefits is the creation of dot phrases for the range of diagnostic codes, which can then be saved in a favorites folder. A dot phrase is a shortcut that lets clinicians quickly insert prewritten text into documentation. It saves time when documenting and promotes consistency across clinical notes.
Consequently, when a Veteran visits for a clinical service, such as a hearing aid fitting, it’s no longer necessary to create a new template for the process.
“I can create a favorites folder where I just click a button and find that patient’s order information,” McDonald explained.
Veteran records are more easily shared
Simplified record-sharing is especially helpful for Alaska’s audiologists, who work extensively with community care providers across the state’s vast geography.
“Previously, to obtain community care records, a second system was required to be opened,” she said. “Now these records are all in one location, making them substantially easier to access.”
McDonald also praised the impact of the Message Center. “It means better access for patients who can reach out to us directly. We can immediately open the page and see all our patients for the day, with the inclusion of what they are scheduled for.”
In her super user role, McDonald has seen limited patients during the go-live transition while focusing on setting up Federal EHR efficiencies, such as dot phrases, for her peers. She’s eager to start taking advantage of these Federal EHR efficiencies for herself. While it’s too soon to quantify exactly how much time she and her peer audiologists will save in a given day, she can tell it will provide valuable breathing room.
Currently, any breaks in the patient schedule are largely consumed by administrative tasks. With the extra time afforded by the Federal EHR, she said, “We can actually take time to address specialty needs our clinic and patients desperately need.”
For more information about the EHRM program and the Federal EHR, visit the EHRM website.
