Vanderbilt University Medical Center

The Vanderbilt information system has been used since the mid-1990’s, and today, it results in over 22,000 electronic orders a day, 75% generated directly by physicians.

Situation

Diagnostic testing is a significant cost driver in healthcare. In the event a wrong imaging choice is made, for example, the process can be time consuming and costly both to the patient and to the medical facility.

Solution

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been working for over ten years to bridge the gap between patient care and information technology. In December 1999, Vanderbilt University Medical Center altered its physician order entry system so it asked physicians to decide if each “standing” order (an order to automatically repeat a test for a patient after a time interval) was still needed. With a simple click, a normally automatic test could be stopped. Vanderbilt has documented millions of dollars of savings each year by using decision support during the ordering process to eliminate unnecessary orders, unnecessarily high drug costs, and delays in patient recovery caused by insufficient information. And in a changing business climate where hospitals are filling to capacity, the medical center is leveraging that efficiency to take care of more patients with the same level of spending on personnel and supplies.

Better Health & Lower Costs

The Vanderbilt information system has been used since the mid-1990's, and today it results in over 22,000 electronic orders a day, 75% generated directly by physicians. Through utilization of this system, CHEM7 orders decreased by 60% with actual CHEM7 testing decreasing by 40%— saving $200,000-$300,000 a year.