Perioperative Solution Streamlines Anesthesia Documentation

A perioperative anesthesia management system provides clinicians with user-friendly technology that produces a complete electronic medical record (EMR), with a minimal amount of manual effort.

The Merge Anesthesia Information Management System (AIMS) automates the creation of an electronic record for the perioperative experience, with a strong focus on safety and compliance with quality reporting, such as the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP), a U.S. national quality partnership of organizations set on improving surgical care by significantly reducing surgical complications. A presurgical screening system initiates the process through an advanced testing and risk management solution, streamlining the surgical preparation process. The Merge AIMS also includes an integrated anesthesia drug-management system (including a dispensing cart), for the secure storage, access, and barcode tracking of medications in each operating room.

A comprehensive set of standard reports provides the ability to demonstrate quality performance compliance, evaluate productivity, understand medication utilization, and analyze patient throughput; the system also provides ad hoc reporting capabilities on the entire clinical database for in depth outcomes analysis. Interfacing to medical devices is accomplished easily in the operating room (OR). Physiological data are automatically captured in the anesthesia record via serial interfaces, which are available for more than 400 medical devices and monitors from every manufacturer.

Once surgery starts, AIMS provides systems for medication management, closed-loop narcotic tracking, and medication error-prevention support are provided through an optional pharmacy and point-of-care (POC) technology. Additional functionality expedites professional fee billing and improves charge capture. Once the procedure is concluded, a perioperative summary report, which details the primary elements of the case, is available for reference at the transfer of care from anesthesiology to nursing. At the end of the case, an electronic signature creates the automatic transmission of information required for billing. The Merge AIMS is a product of Merge Healthcare (Hartland, WI, USA).

"We continue to receive very positive feedback from customers on the Merge AIMS, particularly clinicians who have recognized safety improvement and quality compliance improvements through their use of our solution,” said Justin Dearborn, CEO of Merge Healthcare.

Related Links:
Surgical Care Improvement Project
Merge Healthcare