
Meaningful Use
Champion
“We have been able to do more COVID-19 testing than we could have done if we did not have access to eCW” – Dr. Randi Abramson
Summary
Read our discussion with Dr. Randi Abramson, Heidi Chiu, and Danielle Stout about the clinic’s successes, as well as the remaining challenges to delivering care during the pandemic.
A Conversation with BREAD FOR THE CITY
Q: Almost a year into the pandemic, are your visits occurring via telehealth, in the clinic, or a mix?
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Dr. Randi Abramson
Q: Have you used any telehealth video capabilities, or mainly relied on telephone visits?
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Dr. Randi Abramson
Q: How are you using eClinicalWorks (eCW functionality), such as the portal, to support your COVID-19 response?
HC
Heidi Chiu
RA
Dr. Randi Abramson
Q: How do you use eCW and health information exchange tools, such as CRISP, to send data AND see data on who has been tested?
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Dr. Randi Abramson
A: If it’s during a patient visit, we can use eCW to log into CRISP to get information on test results. We also get alerts every day through the CRISP ENS system with a list of patients and their test results.
Q: Bread for the City has been administering the COVID-19 vaccine. How have you used eCW to document vaccines and get information about patients who might have been vaccinated at another site?
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Danielle Stout
A: Once a patient has received their first dose, we use eCW to send reminders about coming in for a second dose. That has saved us time from calling, because the follow-up happens automatically. If they didn’t come in, we can send an email about rescheduling another appointment.
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Dr. Randi Abramson
A: We can not yet use eCW to look up information on whether a patient has been vaccinated somewhere else. I would love it if that information were bidirectional. Right now, if someone has been vaccinated outside of Bread for the City, we get a fax that says which vaccine it was, the dose, and the date. Then, I have to manually enter the information into eCW.
Q: How have your patients used these electronic tools to manage their health?
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Danielle Stout
A: When I make my calls to see if they want to make a follow-up appointment, patients don’t want to come in, and they appreciate the option to have a televisit with their providers, instead of coming into the office during the current state of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Heidi Chiu
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Dr. Randi Abramson
A: Our patients appreciate that we use different ways to communicate with them and can tell us which one works best for them. Almost all of our patients are glad we have access to results from their visits to the hospital and trust us to protect their privacy.