In June 2008, the Cedar River burst its banks. Cedar Rapids, Iowa lost power, businesses and homes in the flood plain were overwhelmed and the basement at Mercy Medical Center flooded, with many of the facility’s paper forms destroyed or damaged.

Instead of relying on vulnerable paper documents, Mercy Medical now manages forms in Access’s e-Forms Repository (EFR), and prints them on demand. If Mercy Medical was hit by a flood or other natural disaster, the forms that the facility needs to offer patients uninterrupted service would no longer be at risk. In addition, the costs and delays of replacing thousands of paper forms would be avoided.

Access products are also enhancing patient safety. The Patient Label System (PLS) prints two-dimensional barcodes on wristbands and forms, which ensures positive patient identification and facilitates automated indexing of forms with patient records.

Another aspect of Mercy Medical’s ongoing patient safety initiative involves creating a closed loop medication administration process that ensures patients receive the correct medicines and doses. Access’s Patient Labeling and Reporting System (PLRS) assists in this process by outputting barcoded labels that are matched with patients’ barcoded wristbands to help support accurate bedside medication verification (BMV).

Focus: Full service medical center

Access products used: Patient Flow System, e-Forms Repository, Patient Label and Reporting System, Check Printing Module, Patient Label System
Areas using Access products: Emergency department, birthplace clinic, wound and treatment centers and cardiovascular lab, same day surgery 

• Flooding destroyed forms in Mercy Regional’s basement
• Lack of a comprehensive barcoding solution creates the possibility of patient ID errors
• Registering patients is difficult during HIS downtime
• Staff members spend hours manually preparing paper forms

• Electronic forms solution ensures business continuity in the event of another flood
• Barcoded wristbands and medication labels help ensure patient safety
• EFR enables staff to register patients and provide care during HIS downtime
• Forms automation gives employees more time to focus on patient care