Everything in Its Place



Dr. Peter Hill

I’ve been a physician long enough to remember the days of stacks and stacks of paper medical records in manila folders. Stuffed. Heavy.

I know all about tracking down test results, and trying to connect my patients with their records.

Actually, one need not have been a physician for too long to remember “those days.” I am relieved they are almost at an end. (The next generation of physicians will be armed with tablet computers, easy to carry and loaded with more information than 5,000 square feet of filing space could ever hold.)

With our MedConnect electronic medical records system, all of a patient’s medical records will be available to me in a format that is easy to retrieve. Not only can I see my patients’ outpatient records – such as any procedures or lab tests done on an “in-and-out” basis – I also will have access to my patients’ inpatient records from any previous hospitalizations at seven of our 10 MedStar Health hospitals.  I can even see patient records from other hospital systems.

In brief: I will have a complete picture of my patients. I will have all of the information I need to treat them safely and effectively.

I’m glad I’ve been around long enough to see this happen.

Peter Hill, MD, Chief Medical Informatics Officer