Hastings, Neb.-based Mary Lanning Healthcare made its IV pumps interoperable with its Epic EHR system, allowing the health system's medical records and IV pumps to communicate electronically.
"The interoperability we have built between the IV pumps and Epic ensures that the exact order that the physician wants given goes directly to the pump without the manual pushing of buttons on the pump," said Jamie Tinsman, the hospital's Epic clinical applications lead. "This assures the medications are being given at the right rate and in the right amount."
Prior to the new tool, Mary Lanning's nurses took the orders from Epic and manually added them to the pump; now the pumps and EHR system do it automatically, according to a March 8 release from Mary Lanning Healthcare.
This will help reduce the chance for manual errors, according to the hospital.