Medical Technologies at UPMC St. Margaret
Medical Technologies education at UPMC St. Margaret is constantly evolving to keep up with the newest innovations for providing efficient, safe, evidence-based patient care. The successful 21st-century family physician must be facile in all of these tools, and the UPMC St. Margaret faculty is committed to providing a thorough education for all residents in these technologies.
Electronic Health Records (EHR)
UPMC has been a leader in implementing innovative medical technologies for patients and specifically, UPMC St. Margaret has been a leader within that system regarding the implementation of Electronic Health Records and Physician Computerized Order Entry.
UPMC St. Margaret Memorial Hospital functions on a fully electronic and paperless system, and most functionalities have already been available for the past 7-8 years – electronic documentation, laboratory reporting, radiology image review, and physician computerized order entry.
Similarly the UPMC St. Margaret Family Health Centers are also fully electronic. All outpatient clinical documentation is done using the EHR and also supports a patient web portal so individuals can communicate with their providers, review laboratory results, schedule appointments, and request refills. Electronic prescribing is available for all interested patients, eliminating the need for paper prescriptions and reducing patients’ wait time in the pharmacy.
All residents receive intensive training and ongoing support to facilitate their mastery of these EHRs.
Technology Education
There is dedicated time for residents to practice using online and handheld evidence-based resources to rapidly find guidance to clinical questions. Additionally, frequent brief didactic sessions offer highly practical tips and tricks for using EHRs, smartphones, and online electronic resources. The goal of technology utilization and education at St. Margaret’s is to create an environment in which technology facilitates and enhances patient care.