How eRecord Works

What Is the eRecord?

The eRecord is a group of systems where every bit of patient data can be called up at the patient’s bedside. At UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, that record travels with the patient and is always available to the medical team. This data includes:

Tests
Procedures
Radiology images
Assessments
Recommendations
Medications

What Makes eRecord Work?

An advanced infrastructure creates reliable, redundant, secure, and ubiquitous digital systems in the new Children’s Hospital:

More than 400 miles of cabling in the main hospital building alone
56 telecom rooms containing 118 state-of-the-art network switches
2,000 wireless access points
100 percent coverage for most wireless technologies
More than 4,000 computers — including mobile monitor carts

Digital Medicine Requires Support

Supporting this complex eRecord technology requires a serious commitment of IT resources and a proactive approach to developing processes that work for patients and staff members alike.

In FY 2009, Children’s Hospital’s Information Services (IS) help desk took approximately 83,000 calls.
IS team members regularly conduct proactive physician-style rounds in clinical areas, working with doctors and nurses to identify potential technical problems before they occur.
An IS clinical desktop team member is available on call as a direct help line for physicians.

In Case of Disaster

A digital hospital must be able to rely on computer systems in any conceivable situation. All systems at the new Children’s have been painstakingly designed for redundant disaster recovery.

Dual data centers, servers, and network paths
The campus is a node on the UPMC Metropolitan Optical Backbone — with two physically redundant fiber paths back to the UPMC network
State-of-the-art backup power systems

Learn more about how barcode technology helps keep patients safe.