 The Children's Hospital aims to provide the safest, highest-quality care for our patients and the families who need us. When you support the hospital, you are furthering our efforts to improve the care of our patients.
Children's Electronic Health Record (EHR) is one highly successful example of these efforts. To understand how quality and care improve as a result of a single shared EHR that replaces paper medical records, you need to read Jacob's story.
At just 4 years old, Jacob has more medical records than most people will accumulate in a lifetime. Jacob is being treated at The Children's Hospital for a complex kidney disease and serious heart condition. A gigantic accordion folder dubbed "Jacob's bible" held paper records of his medical history, medications, labs and tests, accompanied by a large artist's portfolio of x-rays and CT scans. At the height of Jacob's care, his records filled an entire red wagon.
Not only was it cumbersome and inefficient to carry this load of paper records, but reliving Jacob's medical history with each visit was emotionally draining. "I can't imagine how you keep everything organized when you're so emotionally confused,” says Heather Bottone, Jacob's mother.
Heather tearfully recounts Jacob's medical history, a rare task these days, thanks to EHR that store all his information in one place for easy retrieval. Jacob's care providers – past, present, and future – can access the records, with consent, to learn more about his case and prepare before his appointments.
Read a Wall Street Journal article about Jacob and EHR at Children's. | 
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