eMAR: True Stories of Implementing eCharting

An eMAR session list
Now that Keane NetSolutions eCharting with eMAR is at work providing point-of-care medication/treatment documentation for our clients, we asked some of them how it's going.

Ecumen - Shoreview, Minnesota

Pat Wilcox, RN, Health Information Clinician
"We have been using ePrescribing and eMAR for two months and it's going well now that we solved some challenges that came up in training. "The biggest benefit of eMAR is that it reorganizes the nurses' thinking and their processes.

"Every nurse had a different way to organize the MARs. The medical records staff had to make different MARs for different nurses and then the nurses would personalize them with different color ink and highlighting, paper clips, tabs, all in a 3-ring binder. Some preferred that the orders be listed in alphabetical order, some by room number.

"Once you look at the colors on eMAR, Boom! You know exactly what you have to do. We appreciate that eMAR gathers data, prints reports, and color-codes the eMAR.

"Month-end turnover, where we used to update the orders on paper, is very labor-intensive -- that's the area where eMAR saves time.

"Everyone likes the eMAR now. Some nurses don't like change. So when I walked into the area where they were beta testing eMAR and the nurses told me they liked it, they really did. They wouldn't say that if they didn't."

Badger Prairie Health Care Center - Verona, Wisconsin

Iris Welp, Nursing Supervisor
"This summer we did extensive staff training on physician orders in preparation for going live with eMAR. Having us all on the same page as far as understanding medication orders has cut down on errors.

"As of September 1, 2009 half of our facility is using eCharting. We plan to implement another unit every two months. Our goal is for all units to be using eCharting March 1, 2010.

"Accuracy of orders is important since doctors give us new orders every day. Now I can double-check that they've been recorded correctly from my computer rather than tracking down orders written on paper.

"Our staff sees the value of the improved accuracy we're seeing with eMAR. A nurse who had doubts at first, told me she would not want to go back to paper for the medication pass."

Saint Mary's Home for the Aging - Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Mary Burkart, RN, MDS Coordinator

"We were already realizing the time savings of an electronic MAR when we changed from another vendors to Keane NetSolutions. Its going well, two of our three units went live on July 1, 2009.

"At first our nurses were a little overwhelmed, getting used to the change, but now that they have experience with Keane's order entry and abbreviations, they find it works well for them. I've found that once you learn how to navigate it's a very easy system.

"Now eMAR is going smooth as pie. There's no issues or glitches with using eMAR for the med pass. I personally like the fact that you can write a note in eMAR and it goes into the system. I think everyone is well satisfied with Keane NetSolutions."