Hancock Regional Hospital

Ensuring Downtime Access to Critical Patient Records

Hancock Regional Hospital in Greenfield, IN is a full-service primary care facility serving the residents in east-central Indiana. The hospital offers a state-of-the-art surgery department, 24-hour emergency services, progressive and critical care, occupational health, a transitional care unit, a total oncology program, and comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services, including the more specialized Diabetes Center and Center for Wound Healing.

In 2006, Hancock Regional Hospital was preparing to implement MEDITECH’s EMR (Enterprise Medical Records) and eMAR (Electronic Medication Administration Records) products, integrating them with its MEDITECH HCIS (Healthcare Information System). With all its patient records becoming electronic, the organization realized it also needed a solution for downloading the record data and having access to it during any downtimes of the MEDITECH HCIS.

Hancock Regional Hospital had been using Interbit Data’s NetFax and NetAccess, two of its information distribution solutions, for nine years and decided to inquire about the company’s MPrint Server, a file capture and printer sharing solution for business continuance. The organization’s timing was excellent as Interbit Data was just starting beta testing for NetSafe, its downtime protection and business continuance solution that was introduced in 2007.

“Interbit Data invited us to become a beta site for NetSafe,” explained Doug Hogue, information analyst at Hancock Regional Hospital. “Based on our positive experience with the products we were already using and the good things we had heard about MPrint from other customers, we were happy to become a NetSafe beta customer. Implementing it was a smooth and non-eventful experience.”

Gaining Peace of Mind By Protecting Patient Data Updates

Since Hancock Regional Hospital started using NetSafe, it has had four planned downtimes due to MEDITECH updates and no unplanned downtimes. However, as Hogue points outs, “If something unplanned were to happen, we’re confident that we’re ready.”

“You never know what could happen,” Hogue explains further. “It’s our protection if anything — the HCIS, a server or the network — goes down. NetSafe has performed flawlessly during the downtimes Hancock Regional Hospital has experienced, providing clinicians with whatever information they needed during those times.”

Using NetSafe, Hancock Regional Hospital downloads updates of the eMARs every hour, ensuring that clinicians have access to the most up-to-date medication information on their patients when the system is unavailable. Electronic physician orders are updated twice per day and in PDF format, allowing staffers at registration desks to bring up and view the orders easily. Patient profiles, surgery schedules and out-patient schedules are also downloaded and updated. Physicians practices use NetSafe as well to back up their schedules.

“We now have peace of mind knowing that the latest eMARs and other important patient information are in a location we can access when that information is needed,” reported Hogue.

Relying on NetSafe to Deliver When Needed

After over three years of using NetSafe, Hancock Regional Hospital’s experience with it has been nothing but positive.

“I love it, it’s a great product,” affirms Hogue. “NetSafe is easy to use, and other than normal server maintenance, I don’t need to do anything to it.

“NetSafe is one of those tools we hope we never have to use,” continues Hogue, “But if and when we do need to rely on it, we have complete trust that it will perform superbly. NetSafe is a terrific safety net and its comforting knowing it’s there.”

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As a side note, Hancock Regional Hospital continues to exemplify the quintessential Interbit Data customer. Now that the hospital is upgrading from MEDITECH Magic to 6.0, it will also be upgrading to Interbit Data’s NetDelivery solution for information distribution.