LilacRN

Thanks for all the advice. I have just recently found out about MUSE. I am curious for specifics as to why you hate Meditech so much. Is it soley because the system goes down or is there a problem with the documentation flow or is it an access issue ??? Is it something that I could work on here so the nurses here don't hate it so much? It is definitely not a perfect system. It was actually #3 on the top 3 list that the committee in our hospital chose. I had just started to work at this facility when that decision was made. However; the #1 choice went bankrupt, and the # 2 choice priced themselves out of range for us so they purchased #3 which was Meditech. I don't even know the names of the #1 & 2 choices. This whole process though is fascinating. It is such a change from doing the patient care aspect of nursing. I started here as a nursing supervisor and working prn in the ER. Then I took a Nurse Manager position, I still ended up working on my unit a lot because we were so short staffed. Now my job is totally Meditech related. Thanks again. I hope you can find a way to make your documentation system work better for you.

Is there anyone out there that is using the "Meditech" computerized charting system in their hospital? We are getting ready to go live with our nursing documentation system in and I am the team leader to build it at our facility. This means that the record for nursing will be totally electronic. I have been arguing with the "IT" department about the access to the system that nurses have. Our IT department does not want nurses to have open access to the patient's medical records. They have restricted us to only being able to see the patient's record that is on our unit at the time. So there is no access to review the record for audits, for QI, to solve patient complaints, to observe your staff's charting techniques, or to even correct a mistake to charting. We don't have the ability to get an old chart up for review before a patient reaches the unit. Every other discipline has open access except nursing. Is anyone else out there on Meditech and restricted by location? Very Concerned.

I am looking for information on the restriciton of access to electronic medical records for nursing. Our hospital is in the process of implementing the Meditech system. Right now the only part the nurses use is OE (Order Entry) and the EMR (Electronic Medical Record). However, we are building the PCS (Patient Care System) which is nursing documentation. Currently all nurses are "restricted by location". Meaning that they can only view the medical records of the patients assigned to the unit they are on. When they are signed on to a PC, the PC has already been assigned a location so It knows where the nurse is. This has caused some problems, because if you are getting a transfer, you cannot go into the record until that patient is assigned to your unit. So you can't reveiw anything before they get there (even if you have some downtime). Also, for outpatients that do not get assigned a room number, no nurse has access to any of the records. We do have a function that allows us to open up some temporary access, but in reality it does not get used as it should. Is anyone working with the Meditech system that is also "Restricted by location" and does it affect your ability to obtain information about patients. Another issue is doing closed chart audits, managers handling complaints, reviewing staff documentation etc..... Any help would be greatly appreciated.