Close Up Radio Spotlights Dr. Julie Ann W. Harrigan of Physician EHR Solutions

Close Up Radio

Albuquerque, NM - While Dr. Harrigan always knew she was going to become a physician, she had no idea she would find herself in a strong position to improve patient care while securing the long-term financial health of medical facilities. She got here by being opinionated. As a family medicine hospitalist at a hospital system in Albuquerque, NM, Dr. Harrigan understood the programming behind their electronic health records (EHR) system, and she had questions. “The EHR system was inefficient and had lots of room for streamlining. Because I always come to the table with solutions instead of problems, I began asking, why not do this?” EHR systems have been evolving with the goal of improving efficiency. When computers started appearing, we had a natural progression to go to electronics. Some experts have argued that EHR systems are making hospitals less efficient. Dr. Harrigan sees this as a regulatory issue. Right now, Dr. Harrigan is working as Interim Chief Medical Informatics Officer for a 22-hospital medical system in the middle of a large EHR merger. “This exciting project involves taking their existing medical records and consolidating them into one single EHR system to establish standardized practices of care. We are looking at regulatory components to determine whether or not hospital staff are in compliance. I am evaluating the entire system—policies and protocols, everything that makes a health system a true health care system,” shares Julie. As for the future, Dr. Harrigan’s finishing up a fellowship in Clinical Informatics this year as she plans to continue working with EHR systems. For more information about Dr. Julie Ann W. Harrigan, please visit https://mdehr.com