Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/41086
the beginning, we understood that Cleveland Clinic's electronic medical record system had to be interoper- able, which means that it needed to integrate multiple functions across multiple locations. Interoperability is also a primary feature of what may one day become a national health informa- tion infrastructure through which multiple systems all across the country will talk to one another seamlessly and securely. The only way you can be sure that you are going to achieve your first, all-important goal of system interoperability is to clearly identify the things you expect your system to do, and then to create the processes through which you will test and verify that the system you implement will meet those expectations." Following interoperability, Cleveland Clinic, much like what medical profes- sionals and policy makers are presently working toward for the American healthcare system, began a detailed examination of how the interoperable technology tools they were develop- ing needed to function if they were going to be truly useful to providers, and patients, throughout the entire continuum of care. Functionalities such as CPOE (Computerized Provider Order Entry), electronic medication reconciliation, electronic transmission of prescriptions, and automated best practice and patient-specific health maintenance alerts, among many others, were identified, quantified and finally implemented across the organization. Michael Dayem, MD, (second from left) of Dayem Health Services, Garfi eld Heights, Ohio, a "meaningful use"-compliant private physician practice. Also pictured, left to right, are Blair Roppel, Flavia Miller and Sarah Campopiano. "When we started with MyPractice Community, one of the fi rst things we did was structure our notes, because I realized right away that the system is so fl exible that it can even accommodate an individual psychiatrist's structure. The MyPractice Community staff was right here in my offi ce helping us create templates that would present my notes, my way. Now, we can manage more, high-quality data, better, and my patients are always impressed with the visit summaries and instructions we generate at the end of each encounter." — Michael Dayem, MD MDNEWS.COM SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011 MD NEWS Cleveland-Akron-Canton | 43