IV documentation for start and stop times, reimbursement

[Umrn1]

Im am looking for what other hospitals do for doumenting IV start/stop times. There has to be a better way than how we do it......

I am a new BSN-RN with eight months experience on a twenty-nine bed very busy general surgical floor, day shift, six patient load. I feel really good about how I am doing and have had very positive feedback, however, my nemisis is our IV flow sheet documentation. We are new to using EPIC EMR, but are still keeping a paper log of every IV we hang listing start date and time, type of IV and rate, location of IV in patient and stop date and time in the patient chart. The nursing manager and director explained to me that in order to get reimbursed, we must have start/stop times of the IV's, and that the flow sheet has saved a lot of money.

I'm all for increasing money and budget, but my problem is that our patient charts are located in small closets just outside the patient rooms. When I take a IV fluid or med into the patient room, I scan it in EPIC and hang it. When I leave the patient room, I can't seem to make myself go immediately to the little closest just by the patient door and write in the log what I hung and what has stopped running. More often times than not, the patient has a request for something that I run get them, or as soon as I clear the threshold, I am running to another beeping IV or call light or some other need.

I have tried checking what all I hang and writing in at the end of day, but usually am too short on time. Other nurses also complain about remembering or having time to write it in and have clipped it onto their clipboards and just carry it around with them, but I don't carry a clip board and find it cumbersome and a pain also. I've thought about just taping it to the wall beside the computer in the patient room, but others come by the closets to check that sheet occasionally, so that won't work.

Basicly what I want to know is what does your hospital do to keep up with IV start/stop times. Do you use EPIC? Is there a more efficient way? Is there a computer way? Do you have a person that keeps up with it other than nurses? Any feedback will be so much help:o