In January 2002 staff and doctors within the department of Medicine began using a new system. The E3, electronic by 2003, project allows physicians and staff to process paperwork on a computer network. From office computers and other locations, a patient’s record can be accessed through a web server. All the previously mentioned messages, notes, orders, and etcetera can be processed without paper. E3 also connects and aligns with Vanderbilt’s clinical improvement program in an effort to improve operations throughout the University Medical Center.

Dr. Jim Jirjis, assistant professor of Medicine and medical director of the clinic, and Dario Giuse, Ph.D., associate professor of Biomedical

For several years, Vanderbilt has used computer applications such as StarChart. The first step for E3 and going paperless was to convert StarChart into a new application called StarPanel. StarPanel allows the staff to retrieve patient information faster and in groups. It pulls information from three systems: StarPanel, Epic, and Medipac. These applications are used for electronic retrieval of clinical information, outpatient scheduling, and hospital admitting and discharge. A Vanderbilt doctor can instantly retrieve data on all patients he has seen in the last year, patients with a specific diagnosis, today’s clinic schedule, or any number of defined sorts and filter searches.

In less than a few seconds, StarPanel can access a multitude of information and allow the decision making process become more efficient. This process truly makes StarPanel indispensable and invaluable. The immediate benefit is that physicians and staff no longer need to request records and shuffle through stacks of paper to find patient information. A new route to creating patient registries and measuring practice improvement has emerged.

In order to manage this technology and change, Marilyn Dubree, Chief Nursing Officer, and Dr. C. Wright Pinson, professor of Surgery and Chief of Staff have been appointed co-leaders. The co-leaders, along with

Some topics in this essay:
Epic Medipac, Medical Center, Information Sciences, E3 E3, Internal Medicine, Adult Medicine, StarPanel StarPanel, Biomedical Informatics, Jim Jirjis, Chief Staff, patient information, patient records, university medical center, physicians staff, biomedical informatics, e5 system, professor biomedical, patient care, introductory phase, professor biomedical informatics, cycle technology, university medical,