Dr. Kenneth Buchholz saves the day

Overview

Dr. Ken Buchholz seems to do it all. He is the Medical Director for Medavie EMS where he’s working towards linking Nightingale On Demand with Nova Scotia’s paramedic EMR; he runs his own rural family practice; and takes house calls minutes before taking to the stage at conferences. He leads a busy lifestyle, one that, at times, plays out just like a movie, with Nightingale in the supporting role.

After graduating from Dalhousie University, Dr. Buchholz embarked on a career in Private Practice. He runs Annapolis Family Practice Associates in picturesque Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. He is one of many physicians who took part in Nova Scotia’s Primary Health Information Management Program (PHIM), a province-wide implementation of Nightingale On Demand which was established to improve primary healthcare and patient care by helping physicians and other providers automate the management of patient information. This patient-centric approach helps healthcare practitioners to improve their operating efficiencies, enabling them to access patient clinical data in real-time.

Dr. Buchholz has done an excellent job of implementing PHIM. With the help of innovative technologies and Nightingale’s web-based EMR platform, Dr. Buchholz has been able to successfully bridge the gap between patients in Nova Scotia’s remote corners and the province’s healthcare system.

A patient in crisis

Minutes before presenting as a delegate speaker at the International Roundtable on Community Paramedicine and Rural and Remote Medicine in Victoria, B.C, Dr. Buchholz received an urgent message from a Nurse Practitioner about a patient who was experiencing congestive heart failure 4000 miles away in Long Island, Nova Scotia. The patient was being treated at home by paramedics as part of a paramedic visiting program for patients in remote areas. After the Nurse Practitioner relayed the patient’s state, Dr. Buchholz reviewed the case through Nightingale On Demand on his laptop, and sent a requisition for a higher dose diuretic. He then highlighted the case at the conference.

In another instance, while chairing the joint WHO-Canadian Patient Safety Institute Conference on Adverse Event Reporting in Vancouver, Dr. Buchholz was alerted by an endocrinologist in Halifax about his patient in crisis in the ER. The patient needed current medications and test results to Rx emergently. Similarly, he used Nightingale On Demand remotely to send the information to the endocrinologist, and as a result, helped save the patient’s life.

B.C.E EMR

When speaking to Dr. Buchholz, it’s hard to imagine him practicing without EMR, or the latest communication gadget on the market. His proficiency in technology is evident in the experiences he shares, and he seems to be in his element reveling in healthcare’s technology revolution.

“Before EMR?” asks Dr. Buchholz, as if trying to recall where he last placed his keys. “Before EMR, there were a lot of sticky notes, and my staff moonlighted as proof readers.” He goes on to describe a time when his office was riddled with various mental notes scribbled on yellow post-its. “It’s really easy to make errors in an environment like that. Human error is inevitable, so why not prevent them in any way possible, especially when patient safety is at stake? A practice without EMR is like living in the stone age.”

Back to the future

Nightingale On Demand has been complementary to Dr. Buchholz’s busy work schedule. From 7:00 am Telehealth calls, to shifts at the Emergency Room, Dr. Buchholz has little time to spare. Nightingale’s cloud-based EMR allows for a more flexible workflow that gives the quintessential master of all trades an opportunity to fulfill the obligations of a demanding lifestyle.

However, it’s Dr. Buchholz commitment to quality care and innovative thinking that is so inspiring, despite his overwhelming commitments. “It’s about patient accessibility; it’s about connecting patients with providers, and providers with their peers, that’s how you deliver the best possible care.” For a more efficient health care model, Dr. Buchholz prescribes a system that paints a big picture of the patient’s medical history, one that creates a pattern from all touch points of care. “If it weren’t for the Nurse Practitioner at the Islands Medical Clinic on Long Island, or the Endocrinologist treating my patient in Halifax, I wouldn’t have been able to assist my patients the way I did. However, when you combine the power of EMR with the collaborative efforts of diverse providers like paramedics, nurses and specialists, you get a model that puts the patient’s needs first, and that’s how I choose to practice.”

Lessons learned

Dr. Buchholz has become subject matter expert in EMR, and has some valuable advice for future adopters. He writes:

Don’t try to implement everything at once.
Start small and build confidence and gradually build capacity. Modern EMRs (like Nightingale On Demand) are intricate integrated platforms with different workflows to get to where you need to go. Become comfortable with navigating through the basic areas and then get adventurous --- kind of like driving in a city for the first time that you have just moved into – you learn one route in, one out and stick with it till you find your comfort zone. You will get good with it in time!

Don’t be afraid to ask for help (especially the guys!).
Engaging your peer network, calling the help desk, and taking the tutorials saves both time and money.

Have fun with it!
Explore, pique your curiousity! Even the best and most experienced folks in the network (and at Nightingale) are still learning neat and interesting work-arounds. Be adventurous and don’t be afraid to try different things. Try it on your iPAD, your tablet. See what it can do for you.

Finally, consult an IT expert.
Whether or not you are knowledgeable in IT, seek help setting up your system. First, decide what you need and what you need your workplace processes to do—then have the system designed around your needs. You don’t need top of the line gear, but you do need good gear that is set up well and that can be serviced and supported easily. (… and don’t forget to upgrade!!).