February 2007
Staff and Physicians Go the Extra Mile After Storms Winter hit hard on the evening of Thursday, December 14, with high winds and heavy rains that uprooted hundreds of tress, causing power outages throughout Mason County. The aftermath of the storm closed area schools and several businesses on Friday the 15th and into the weekend. However, the storms didn’t end there. Other storms of varying degrees continued through the middle of January – more winds, more rain, snow and ice – not to mention multiple-car accidents. Even though it was not safe to travel on the day of December 15, the hospital staff and local physicians still made it to work – many before they were scheduled
Where caring counts. Feel the difference.
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Vol. 23 No. 1
Clinics Now Have Electronic Medical Records Oakland Bay Pediatrics, Shelton, and North Mason Medical Clinic, Belfair, have added “Electronic Medical Records” to their host of features for improving patient care. The EMR was successfully implemented in November as a part of Public Hospital District No. 1’s wide upgrade in technology. Both clinics now have a single, shared electronic chart for each patient, allowing physicians and clinical staff to document patient visits, streamline clinical workflow, and securely exchange clinical data with other providers. To facilitate this, computers were placed in all patient care areas for
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3 Days, 3 Ways – Are You Ready?
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Dr. Meltem Karatepe (center) shows Mary Carrion, mom of patient Aliyah, how easy it is to get patient history with the new EMR at Oakland Bay Pediatrics. Looking on is Alyson Waylett, medical assistant.
Need Help with Hospital Bills? In keeping with our mission statement “...to protect and promote the health of the people in Mason County while extending respect and compassion...” Mason General Hospital wants to help make healthcare affordable. If you need financial assistance with hospital expenses, please call for more information on: • 25% Discount • Property Tax Adjustment • Uncompensated Care • Call MGH Business Office (360) 427-9547 (from Belfair (360) 275-8614) or visit at Gateway Center, 2505 Olympic Highway N., Suite 460 (near McDonald’s) in Shelton. Open 8 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday. (Spanish translator available) Information is also available at: www.masongeneral.com/BillingQuestions.htm. Download our Payment Options brochure at www.masongeneral.com/PaymentOptions.pdf.
Here with North Mason Medical Clinic state-of-theart “EMR” are (l-r) Brenna Sawyer, certified medical assistant and receptionist, Dr. Pen Hou, and Shanna Marsh, registered medical assistant and x-ray tech.
easy access by providers and their staff. In addition, the clinics are now interfaced with Mason General Hospital’s system to share information such as laboratory, diagnostic imaging, and emergency records. “This opens up the lines of communication between clinics and the hospital,” said Terry Megiveron, director of clinic operations. “If someone is seen in MGH’s ER and then goes to the clinic, the clinic physician has quick, electronic access to the patient’s complete record.” Prior to EMR, paper files had to be requested which slowed down the Continued on page 2…
What’s Inside: 2 Congestive Heart Failure Forum 3 Hospital Recognized for High Quality Care in Bariatric Surgery 4 Holiday Babies at MGH 5 Aging Eyes 6 Emergency Department Adds Electronic Medical Records 7 News Briefs 8 Letter on Hospital Re-Districting