WITH THE PROGRAM MEDICAL GROUP'S PHYSICIANS USE POCKET PCS FOR THEIR PATIENT RECORDS, OTHER DOCTORS' NOTES.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

MISSION HILLS - It's an ailment with which doctors have long been associated: scribbles and other unintelligible pen strokes that are scrawled across prescription pads.

Call it a function of doctors specializing in prognosis as opposed to penmanship, many lawsuits have centered on illegible prescriptions. But these problems were foreseeable long ago, and while solutions existed, the costs associated with technologies like electronic prescription writing often were too expensive.

``In the 1990s, the technology was there, but in reality the banking industry was still light years ahead of the medical industry. Affordability probably played a major role,'' said Dr. Frederick Russo, an internist with Facey Medical Group in Mission Hills.

For more than a decade, Russo was an advocate of integrating technology into his practice. He did research on the software and hardware available to medical groups, met with Facey executives to discuss the benefits of embracing new technologies and pondered the prospect of his own office going paperless some day.

``And now, I can finally say we are just starting to get there,'' he said.

Although Facey is still far from leading the evolution toward managing patients by computer rather than pen, almost all 125 doctors who work for the group carry pocket PCs in their white coats. The company has tapped Allscripts Healthcare Solutions to support an electronic medical record system that can call up a patient's history at the touch of a screen. But the record system is a mere sliver in the greater spectrum of what Facey doctors will be able to do with their handheld computers.

``We'll probably be able to write prescriptions with our pocket PCs in the next 12 months, but the record system is very important to us here right now,'' said Dr. Michael Nelson, Facey's medical director. ``We want to be cutting edge, but we don't want to be too close to that edge.''

Facey doctors have the ability to dictate notes into their handhelds, which are then stored in a database. In recent weeks, the physicians have been able to access the dictations of other doctors, an invaluable tool if an emergency arises.

A couple of weeks ago, Russo was called to see a patient who had been previously examined by a colleague. He didn't have access to the patient's paper files or the ability to contact the doctor familiar with the case.

``And the patient ended up having a big lung mass. It's a good thing when a record system can give us access to the notes of a doc who had done work with the patient before,'' Russo said.

There have also been cost efficiencies associated with electronic medical records. During a one-year study period conducted at the Central Utah Multi-Specialty Clinic, more than $952,000 was saved in areas directly related to the implementation of an electronic medical record system.

The cost savings included a reduction in transcription costs; a decrease in staff required for pulling, filing and maintaining charts for new patients; and the elimination of building charts for new patients.

Each Facey doctor is assigned a pocket PC equipped with dictation software and a medical encyclopedia of sorts. The slick-looking silver device weighs about a pound. Nelson said he uses his pocket PC to display color renderings of different body parts when he explains patients' ailments.

How do his patients respond to the handheld? Nelson said some raise their eyebrows, but others say, ``It's about time.''

In the next several months, Facey doctors will be able to receive laboratory results on their computers. That modification will be followed by prescription writing.

Paul Peterson, a senior marketing manager with Allscripts, said the greatest obstacle in the industry is explaining to physicians and medical groups that their software justifies its cost.

``Initially, electronic medical records didn't seem to catch on because they didn't have any value-added propositions,'' Peterson said. ``That's changed. Today we have to show that our technology isn't necessarily going to reduce a doctor's day. It will help that doctor prioritize by spending more time with the patient instead of the paperwork.''

Sales momentum is increasing for Chicago-based Allscripts even though the company posted a second-quarter loss of $2.1 million, or 5 cents per share, compared with a loss of $4 million, or 10 cents a share, a year earlier. Allscripts shares were unchanged at $3.25 Monday on the Nasdaq market.

Allscripts will be responsible for implementing the electronic prescription writing at Facey during the next year. Nelson said the project, including the electronic medical records, is costing the group more than $1 million.

Evan Pondel, [phone]

evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

(color) Dr. Michael Nelson, medical director at Facey Medical Group in Mission Hills, shows his handheld electronic device.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer