I want to thank Ed Meyers, RN, for introducing us in this month’s videos to MedHost, the Emergency Department’s (ED) new electronic medical record. MedHost provides patient registration, patient tracking, nurse and physician documentation, order entry, results retrieval, prescription writing, medication reconciliation and discharge documents. It interfaces with the Lab, Radiology and Centricity/E-care. We are excited about this EMR implementation and the anticipated benefits to our customers and staff. Contingenciesare in place to address issues that arise. Your patience and understanding is appreciated.

I had an opportunity to hear how ED colleagues are faring as they care for patients while learning the functionality of MedHost.

Karen Braden, RN, Clinician III says “I think once we learn where everything is, it will be much better. The learning curve is interesting. The good news is that we help and rely on one another. When one of us discovers the way to do something, we share with each other.”
Cathy Varnum, RN, Clinician II provides a unique perspective, “It helps if you love video games. I’ve managed to bring my triage time down from 6 minutes to my usual 2!”

“It took me a week and about 60 patients to feel that I knew the system. It is doable.” says Scott Syverud, MD.

HUC Lynn Wade says “It is a good system. As with any change, it requires adjustments.”

Corrie Pedro, RN, Clinician I, offers “It’s slow…things that took me 5 minutes before now take me 15 minutes but it is getting better.”

I would love to hear your experiences with MedHost documentation.

Two EMR vendors demonstrated their software this month. Eclipsys was here on Monday, November 10 and Tuesday, November 11. Epic demonstrated Professional Billing for HSF on Tuesday, November 11, and their clinical software on Wednesday, November 12 and Thursday, November 13. I hope that a number of you were able to attend these sessions; your evaluation feedback will be critical as decisions are made. The selection of an EMR is one of the most important decisions we will make for the next twenty years. This system will drive our daily information and documentation processes.

Many of you attended last month’s Employee Forums to hear the new Employee Engagement survey results. Remember that survey results and video are available on KnowledgeLink.Volunteer to participate on the Action Teams to addressManager-Employee Relationships, Worklife Balance and Patient Focus; sign up on KnowledgeLink. Managers are sharing local results and I hope you will also be active in developing action plans to guide improvement in your work group.

This month Jill Laird-Sanders, MN, RN, ACHPN, the Director of Adult Medical Services, introduces her new role. “In this role I will be working to provide support for and build a cohesive team with the unit managers. Together we are sharing information, discussing common challenges, and brainstorming strategies. Anyone with ideas or proposals that impact the adult inpatient units is welcome to meet with us. We are working to streamline the workflow for managers by clarifying, simplifying and standardizing processes whenever possible. One example is that all adult inpatient managers (acute, cardiac and critical care units) created a common addendum to the attendance policy. Instead of 20 Managers creating a unit specific addendum we created a departmental addendum. Staff on any of these 20 units will be following the same process. I see my role as one of providing support and a voice for the unit staff and managers.”

It is wonderful to be part of an organization that attracts and retains talented individuals. The list of your accomplishments is long and I offer my enthusiastic congratulations to all.

Barbara Wiggins, PharmD, Cardiology Pharmacy Clinical Specialist, CLS, FAHA, is an editor of the Pharmacist’s Guide to Lipid Management, published by the American college of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). (

David Volles, PharmD, Surgery Pharmacy Clinical Specialist, and Trisha N. Branan, PharmD, PGY2-Critical Care Resident for 2007-2008, are authors of “Antibiotics in the critical care unit: focus on resistant pathogens” published in Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America(2008), 26:813-34.

Jessica Johnson, PharmD, PGY1-Pharmacy Resident wrote an article for the Richmond Times Dispatch American Pharmacists Month Advertorial, “Three Misconceptions about Diabetes.” (

Kathleen Bledsoe, PharmD, David Volles, PharmD, Barbara Wiggins, PharmD, Leah Paige, PharmD, Donna White, RPh, and Rita Spencer, PharmD, presented at the “Clinical Pearls” session at the 2008 Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists Fall Seminar.

Marcia Buck, PharmD,had a poster at the AmericanCollege of Clinical Pharmacy 2008 Annual Meeting, “Caffeine for the prevention or treatment of alprostadil-induced apnea in infants with congenital heart disease.”

Michelle McCarthy, Pharm. D., Interim Director for Clinical Systems in Pharmacywas honored by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists for her leadership as President of the Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Michelle was selected to host a roundtable session at the midyear meeting of this organization next month in Orlando.

The Card Sort Research Team from ambulatory cardiology received a research award from the Health Care Education Association (HCEA). Melly Turner, RN, is the Research Mentor and Cherie Parks, RN, is the PI!

And, finally, I am pleased to announce that Teresa Haller, MSN, MBA, RN, was elected as Board Treasurer for the Center of American Nurses. Terri just finished a two-year term as President of the Virginia Nurses Association. Her tenure was marked by membership growth, partnership with Virginia Magnet Hospitals and strengthened political alliances in Richmond and throughout the Commonwealth.