POTSDAM -- Canton-Potsdam Hospital has received a $35,000 grant to help with the hospital’s medical records initiative.

The grant, from the Verizon Foundation, will help the hospital move ahead with electronic data interchanges among hospital services like lab and imaging and private physician practices in our region.

This “physician interface” is one component of the hospital’s overall investment of more than $4 million in electronic medical record (EMR) initiatives.

In today’s complex healthcare environment, timely information is critical in diagnosis and quality care. Traditionally, information like test results have been faxed from the hospital to physician offices, and either scanned or manually reentered into the patient’s medical record.

“Sometimes, this can be a slow process, and with paper, there is a risk of reports being lost, misplaced or being unreadable, which often requires them to be re-sent,” said Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s Chief Information Officer Jorge Grillo. “The hospital already has the capability to share information directly with its hospital-run clinics. Doing the same for private physician offices is our next step.”

Systems like the one Canton-Potsdam Hospital is putting into place allow for the exchange of data between unlike systems. It is like putting a translator between two systems so they can communicate directly with each other. This will ease and speed communications such as laboratory and radiology results.

“This electronic information is then readily accessible as part of a complete medical record within the physician’s practice management EMR. That means no more lost faxes, reentering of data and immediate access to patient information, speeding up diagnosis and treatment,” Grillo said.

These interfaces are costly and complex to program and maintain. The grant is providing the funds for the hospital to work with several independent physician practices, and provide them a results interface at no cost.

“We believe this grant will act as a catalyst for broader connectivity,” said Grillo. “Over time we will connect Canton-Potsdam Hospital to every independent provider in the county that wishes to receive electronic results directly into their EMR. Doing so improves access to critical information and enhances the delivery of care for all.”

The Canton-Potsdam Hospital Foundation raised more than $923,000 last year, including the Verizon grant. For more information on the Canton-Potsdam Hospital Foundation, visit www.cphospital.org/giving, email foundation@cphospital.org or call 261-5414.