PVH to get new records system

The electronic medical records system used by Petaluma Valley Hospital since 1986 will no longer be sold or supported by the company that provides it, and the Petaluma Health Care District is trying to determine whether it will help to fund a new system.

“The entire computer system needs to be replaced, and the health care district board of directors understands this, but the question is, ‘Will the health care district participate in the acquisition of a new system?’” said Daymon Doss, the PHCD’s executive director.

The old system, Allscripts/ A4, will not be sold or supported by Allscripts starting April 30, 2010, although an additional year of support could be specially arranged for the escalated fee of $900,000.

“St. Joseph Health System decided that system-wide, it will go with the Meditech system,” Doss said. “If they implement the system at Petaluma Valley Hospital, they will need to decide if they implement a stand-alone system or one that is fully integrated with Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.”

SJHS-Sonoma County owns Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and operates PVH.

An assessment performed by Perot Systems showed that Meditech was a logical fit for PVH, given the scope of its services, organization, overlap of services with SRMH and the opportunity to leverage SJHS’s investment in Meditech.

An integrated Meditech system would cost an estimated $2.8 million to implement, and $242,000 annually for maintenance and support. It could be implemented in six months.

A stand-alone system would cost $3.9 million to implement, and 380,000 per year for maintenance and support. It could be implemented in nine months.

But the hospital lease between SJHS-Sonoma County and the health care district expires in 7 1/2 years, and it is unclear if both sides will want to renew it.

“The lease might not be renewed, and a stand-alone system would be easier to transition back to the health care district,” Doss said.

So, the board is facing difficult questions, including whether or not a Meditech system is the best one to implement at PVH.

“The health care district is not required by the lease to participate in the acquisition of a new system. So, the board is exploring at what level, if any, we should participate,” Doss said. “Also, a big question is, ‘How easily will the Meditech system configure to communicate with private doctors in the Petaluma community?’”

The board hopes to obtain an answer to that question, and get back to St. Joseph about whether it will help fund a new medical records system on or before its meeting on June 10, Doss said.

(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)