Information Technology

Alliance Community Hospital supports a technological environment that is pervasive and self-sufficient. Technology supports our core philosophies through improving patient safety, allowing appropriate, timely communication of the patient’s medical information, and helping our Colleagues become more efficient.

Examples of our state-of-the-art information technology include the following:

• ACH was the second organization in the State of Ohio to use bedside scanning of medications to help prevent medication administration errors.
• In over half of ACH’s inpatient units, nurses electronically document interventions, care plans and patient information.
• ACH has implemented an Emergency Department application that includes physician order entry and electronic documentation.
• ACH strives for full integration of technology systems whenever possible. Our Hospital Information Systems (HIS) houses our financial modules (e.g., Accounts Receivable, Materials Management, etc.), ancillary clinical modules (e.g., Imaging, Pharmacy, Laboratory, etc.) and clinical applications (e.g., Nursing, Case Management, Respiratory Therapy, Medical Records, etc.). Physicians and other health care professionals can view the electronic record through the Patient Care Inquiry. This allows providers easy access to past and present clinical information.
• ACH’s Imaging department deployed a Picture Archive and Communications System (PACS). Patients are able to take a CD containing their images to their health care provider. With the images maintained on redundant platforms, the risk of losing vital information has decreased dramatically.
• ACH’s Community Care Center (CCC) uses Caretracker to enter information about residents through touch screens. This information is used by nurses and the MDS Coordinator to care for the residents. The nurses at Community Care Center can also find clinical information about the resident in the HIS.
• ACH has established a wireless network in 80 percent of our organization. We have a fiber link with our Professional Office Building which contains The Center for Digestive Health. Using the HIS and the Endoscopy application, a physician can view images on-line, write up their report, and view other patient clinical information through a personal computer.