Breaking chains of paperwork: Soon, medical records at govt hospitals with just a click
The state medical education department is implementing Health Management Information System (HMIS) in GMCHs across the state to streamline record-keeping, reduce human error, and cut down waiting time for patients.
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Without HMIS, patient attendance takes 10 to 12 minutes, and searching for case papers requires a time-consuming manual process. (Express photo) After a 16-month wait, Maharashtra has finally initiated a process whereby, by the end of December, medical records of patients will be readily accessible with a simple click on a computer at most government medical colleges and hospitals (GMCH) in Maharashtra. This eliminates the need to carry cumbersome hard copies to hospitals.
After successful results in Mumbai civic-run medical colleges, the state medical education department is implementing Health Management Information System (HMIS) in GMCHs across the state to streamline record-keeping, reduce human error, and cut down waiting time for patients.
HMIS will be initiated on a trial basis in six medical colleges and hospitals in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Dhule and Kolhapur.
When patients visit hospital, they usually collect documents from the OPD. The doctor then discusses health issues, with prescriptions noted on the same paperwork. Without HMIS, patient attendance takes 10 to 12 minutes, and searching for case papers requires a time-consuming manual process. In contrast, with online registration of patient in HMIS, a unique identity number is assigned to each patient. HMIS streamlines treatment by providing quick access to comprehensive patient details, including blood reports, X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and more.
“Doctors record the patient’s health concerns and prescribed medications for examination and treatment in the software, eliminating the inconvenience associated with managing physical files and paperwork,” said Rajeev Nivatkar, Maharashtra Commissioner of Medical Education.
“Additionally, when patients visit the hospital, they can access their entire medical history with a single click by entering their unique identity number in HMIS,” he added.
However, the HMIS system has been non-operational for the past 16 months due to a financial dispute with the service provider. In July, the state government earmarked Rs 269.50 crore to implement HMIS in hospitals. This task has now been entrusted to the government unit National Informatics Center (NIC) instead of a private company.
After much delay, efforts are underway to resume HMIS services in the state’s hospitals, which had been halted for about 16 months.
“This reopening will alleviate stress for both doctors and patients, saving valuable time. The pilot launch of HMIS is scheduled in November for six colleges with training provided through NIC. The plan is to implement HMIS in 25 medical colleges across the state by mid-December,” said Nivatkar.
The department needs to obtain computers but and hire operators, while with existing computers won’t require additional ones. Operators will also be appointed, according to information from the Medical Education Commissionerate.
The BMC-operated GMCH has greatly benefited from the system. Since its introduction in 2018 at BYL Nair hospital, six additional hospitals, and five dispensaries, approximately 69 lakh patient records were digitally established by the end of July. A recent TISS study found that manual record-keeping in Sion and KEM hospitals contributes to prolonged waiting period, surgery cancellations, and compromised accuracy of lab results due to illegible handwritten sample markings by lab technicians.
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