Worcester-based UMass Memorial Medical Center deployed a new function in its EHR system on March 17 that allows clinicians to message medical questions to an infection control provider, the Worcester Business Journal reports.
Messages that providers send can be attached to patient names, which allows the on-call provider to access the patient's medical record and help provide treatment recommendations.
UMass implemented the new EHR feature in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In the COVID-19 pandemic, 6,519 American cases have been reported, along with 114 deaths. In Massachusetts, 218 cases have been reported, as of 9 a.m., CDT, March 18.
To boost testing and limit the spread of infection, UMass Memorial Medical Center is launching drive-through coronavirus screenings in a facility at its University Campus in Worcester on March 18. The health system is also working on a similar testing station at Marlborough (Mass.) Hospital, according to the report.
UMass Memorial Health Care comprises three hospitals and is home to more than 1,700 physicians and 3,000 nurses.