the Hospital of Today - Olympic Medical Center

Adding a Digital Layer to
PATIENT SAFETY
Patient safety is a priority. That’s why Olympic
Medical Center utilizes electronic medical records
(EMR) to provide physicians with the most
accurate, immediate patient information.
Olympic Medical began implementing EMR in clinics in
April 2010 and will continue rolling out the new electronic
tool to remaining clinics through January 2011. In addition,
Olympic Medical is pleased to utilize federal grant funding to
offer EMR capabilities to clinics within our community that are
not affiliated with Olympic Medical. As more physicians have
access to this revolutionary documentation system, patients
can expect to receive improved quality of care and enhanced
safety measures.
Benefits of EMR include:
• Easily accessible information about patient allergies
and medications
• Faster delivery of laboratory and imaging test results
• Point-of-care decision-making alerts for physicians
• Reduced medical errors compared to paper records
“EMRs are known to provide physicians and their practice
teams with accurate and immediate patient information,” says
Kathy Giuntoli, information technology specialist at Olympic
Medical. “The EMR tool promotes patient safety because the
patient’s medications and past medical history are easily
reviewed during clinical decision making.”
Most importantly, EMRs at Olympic Medical will improve a
physician’s ability to deliver the efficient, effective care patients
have come to expect.
Stay up to date with the latest news at Olympic Medical Center.
Visit www.olympicmedical.org and click on “News & Events.”
Short Stay = Back
to Normal Life Faster
When you are considering having
surgery for an illness or injury, it’s
important to know your options.
Olympic Medical Center is committed
to offering patients convenient and safe
same-day surgical procedures.
The short stay unit at Olympic Medical has a variety
of procedures available that do not require an
overnight hospital stay, including:
• Arthroscopic scope of the knee
• Bladder sling (to strengthen bladder walls and
reduce urinary incontinence)
• Carpal tunnel (pain in the wrist) repair
• Colonoscopies (screening for colorectal cancer)
• Endometrial ablation (removes uterine lining to
reduce uterine bleeding)
• Hernia (internal organ bulges through muscle) repair
“All of the procedures we offer are less invasive,
which means patients will experience a shorter
recovery period and have fewer complications,” says
Edie Thompson, RN, short
stay manager at Olympic
Medical. “This allows patients
to have more control and get
back to their normal routines
more quickly.”
Accredited by The
Joint Commission
Olympic Medical strictly
adheres to hospital quality
and safety standards. The
short-stay unit is accredited
by The Joint Commission,
meaning it offers the standard
of an inpatient hospital for
its same-day surgery – a
standard found nowhere else on the North
Olympic Peninsula.
If you or a loved one is considering having a
surgical procedure, you don’t have to travel far to
receive excellent care.
“We provide the same standard of care as any urban
facility,” says Thompson.
For more information on the short stay unit, visit
www.olympicmedical.org, select “Services” and click
“Surgical Services,” then choose “Services Overview.”
10 www.olympicmedical.org