FMCH Invests in Integrated Electronic Health Record (EHR

Fort Madison Community Hospital (FMCH) has been operating under two different electronic health record systems, one for clinic services (provided by Greenway) and one for hospital services (provided by Meditech), since electronic health records were implemented at the health care organization.

FMCH made the decision in early 2017 to integrate these two systems into one electronic medical record using Meditech software.  This 18-month process required an investment of $2 million by the organization and will go live on July 1, 2018. 

“We felt it was the right time to make this investment into our future.  By integrating our electronic health record systems into one, we will be able to provide better continuity of care leading to improved safety.  It facilitates communication between the clinic and the hospital care teams,” commented Shane Tapper, Chief Information Officer at FMCH. “Patients will now have one record that includes both their clinic visits with our FMCH providers and any services provided on the hospital side which includes emergency room visits, radiology tests, laboratory tests and inpatient stays.”

The Meditech conversion included an update to the current system in addition to integrating the two systems.

 “We had a team of employees throughout the organization dedicated to working on this project.  The amount of effort and commitment they’ve put forward has been amazing to witness.  As we prepare to go live on July 1^st, we ask our patients to please allow for extra time when registering and recognize that our employees are getting used to the new system. We want to make sure we capture your information accurately and provide you with the very best service and care possible.  We thank you for understanding,” explained Jeremy Alexander, CEO, FMCH.

The conversion to one electronic health record system means patients will have access to all of their health information in one place on the MyHealth Patient Portal.  Patients who have a hospital patient portal account will continue to use their current sign in information.  The new MyHealth Patient Portal will allow users to view and monitor their health information, view test results, contact their care team, manage their appointments and request prescription refills. Patients who had a patient portal account through the FMCH Clinics only, will need to set up a new MyHealth Patient Portal account on the FMCH website, www.fmchosp.com.