By Dr Irwin Lim, Rheumatologist
I went on a date last night.
With Rafic, Leo and Rafael.
Swarthy, burly guys. Lots of laughs were had over some Italian dinner and a drink or two.
Who are these guys? Well they happen to be key members of ISN Solutions, our IT support team.
You may find it strange that I would spend my Friday night (along with Errol & Amanda from our team) with IT dudes, but we've had a long relationship. And like all longer lasting relationships, we've had our share of ups and downs, but for now, we've moved past the bumps. They're good blokes and we enjoy their company.
Why do I bother telling you this in a rheumatology blog?
Well, we've invested heavily over the years in getting our IT infrastructure correct.
To practise Connected Care, in the BJC Health style, a stable IT setup that protects and shares our patient database across our different sites and with our many different health practitioners is crucial. Good IT enhances our healthcare delivery.
We keep electronic medical records. We communicate with each other daily using IT networks. We receive results of medical investigations electronically. We increasingly e-correspond with the medical community, and with our patients. We can search quickly to find data in patient medical records and can have access from home or even, overseas. Appointment reminders can be automated. Appointment management, account billing and processing can be simplified. Your results and progress can be shared by all relevant members of the team.
And yet, many of our medical colleagues still avoid that date with IT. Holding onto loose bits of notes & test results. Wading through a thick patient file in search of that result or that particular correspondence.
Do you think your health team could be more efficient if their IT processes were improved?
Dr Irwin Lim is a rheumatologist and a director of BJC Health. Arthritis requires an integrated approach. We call this, Connected Care. Contact us.