Published: Dec. 10, 2012
Sparrow launched a new comprehensive electronic medical record system on Dec. 1 to replace most of its current health information systems.
The launch of iSparrow Electronic Medical Record (EMR) successfully took place throughout inpatient and outpatient areas at Sparrow Hospital, Sparrow Specialty Hospital, Sparrow Clinton and Sparrow Ionia on Saturday, Dec. 1. This is the most recent phase of iSparrow EMR. The system implementation began in Sparrow Medical Group (SMG) and other practices in 2011.
"iSparrow EMR gives our Caregivers secure and immediate access to Patients' medical records, so the most current information is available to ensure the highest quality care and the safety of our Patients," said Tom Bres, Sparrow Vice President and Chief Information Officer. "With iSparrow EMR, Physicians and other Caregivers have the right information at the right time to care for Patients."
The implementation of iSparrow EMR is part of Sparrow's commitment to quality of care, the Patient experience and affordability. iSparrow EMR will help support Sparrow's efforts to address challenges such as increasing prevalence of chronic disease and an aging population, improving the quality of care and the Patient experience and ensuring greater affordability.
As part of iSparrow EMR, SMG Patients can use MySparrow and the MySparrow Mobile App, which allow them to access their medical records, send messages to their doctors, schedule appointments, request prescription renewals, and more. Patients of Sparrow hospitals who do not have an SMG Physician will get access to MySparrow and the MySparrow Mobile App later in 2013.
As part of Sparrow's efforts to launch iSparrow EMR, Sparrow's Critical Care Transport team was recently the first ambulance team to use Epic's software platform in the U.S. Epic is the highly regarded software used by hospitals nationwide that powers iSparrow EMR.
"Sparrow's innovation in implementing EMR use to document Patient care in an ambulance directly into the Patient's medical record is a big win for continuity of care," said Bres. "This allows Caregivers in the hospital to see the Patient's vital signs and any medications that were administered in the ambulance in real-time, before the Patient is even in the building."
Patients who want more information about iSparrow EMR can ask their Physician or visit Sparrow.org/iSparrowforPatients.