Reginald D Smith

The Automation of the Clinical Practice Reginald D Smith

Reg Smith brings to light a pivotal time in health-care documentation in his firsthand account of developing clinical automation systems for a large and complex health-care provider. Smith began working at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1990, when physicians still recorded important patient information with pens and paper. As an administrator for the systems and procedures division, he and his team worked tirelessly to develop the paperless method for outpatient practice. In the early years of the Internet, they faced numerous issues in making the automation process successful: -adding work stations, computer terminals, network wiring, and necessary infrastructure to buildings that weren't built for them-finding health-care information technology vendors to take on the challenge-making the automation's added benefits sufficient to offset the operational costs-meeting legal requirements for medical documentation-planning for the possibility of computer crashes or power failures-properly securing medical records The Automation of the Clinical Practice is a memoir of one man's career in the health-care industry during times of great change and opportunity. Smith recalls his twenty-four-year service with the Mayo Clinic and his role in developing the simplified automation process that physicians use today.