The Miami Valley Home Health Care Agency has benefited greatly from the implementation of emergency medical record, or EMR, systems. The agency provides home companions, personal care aides, and round-the-clock live-in assistants to local area elders, enabling them to continue living in their own homes rather than being transferred to nursing home facilities. Although most elderly people prefer living in their own homes, the ambulatory setting is associated with a higher risk of adverse drug events, of which an approximate eight million occur each year-one-third to one-half of which are preventable (Hillestad, Bigelow, Bower, Girosi, Meili, Scoville, & Taylor, 2005, p. 1109). When EMR systems reduce adverse drug events, they also reduce the office visits, hospitalizations, and additional care associated with such events (Hillestad, Bigelow, Bower, Girosi, Meili, Scoville, & Taylor, 2005, p. 1109). It is estimated that an annual savings of $3.5 billion in medical expenses could also be achieved, and since "avoided adverse drug events in patients age sixty-five and older account for 40 percent of the savings," these figures are particularly relevant to our home health care agency, which caters to seniors (Hillestad, Bigelow, Bower, Girosi, Meili, Scoville, & Taylor, 2005, p. 1109).
The EMR process used by the Miami Valley Home Health Care Agency is to use wireless connectivity as a means of accessing home patient EMR information prior to performing medication or other treatment activities. This extra confirmation step ensures that every medication and treatment to be administered is the right one, in the right amount, at the right time, and for the right patient. In addition, patient vital signs and other biodata are transmitted wirelessly directly from the patient's home to his/her healthcare provider and monitored remotely so that nursing case managers can mount a quick response to any developing problems (Hille...