VB EMS connects to Sentara med records

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) -  Virginia Beach EMS and  Sentara hospitals are now sharing electronic medical records,  which could potentially save time and lives.  The new system went online at 1:00 p.m. Monday.  

Each ambulance in the Virginia Beach EMS fleet is equipped with a tablet computer. With the touch of a button, paramedics can send patient information straight to any computer in Sentara emergency rooms.

As far as Sentara and Beach EMS know they are the first in the country to collaborate on this kind of information sharing.

Dr. David Levin, vice president of Medical Informatics for Sentara said that getting the information ahead of the patient will allow staff to prepare.

"So that by the time the patient arrives we're ready," he said. "We've got more information and we believe that's going to really improve care."

In the case of heart trouble, paramedics can even send test results from the field straight to a doctor's smart phone, but the biggest benefit, Beach EMS Division Chief Tom Green said, will come in the classroom.

"Did we do these things correctly or do we need to change our practices?" he asked. Paper records make it hard to tell.

They fill out lengthy reports up to an hour after they leave the patient. Handwriting and multiple copies can make information hard to decipher, or even find.

"In Virginia Beach last year there was over 60,000 EMS runs to Sentara facilities, so that's a lot of paper," said Dr. Levin.

Sentara will also share patient records with EMS, so they will know how the patient did.

"In the long run you're going to get a lot better quality, " Green Said.

And when it's a life or death situation, thats what counts.

As far as your privacy, Virginia Beach EMS and Sentara assure that patients are protected. The system is encrypted, and EMS will only have access to information on patients they have transported.