FARMINGTON – Sandy River Center for Healthcare and Rehabilitation, a 90-bed skilled nursing and residential care center in Farmington, has received access to the Meditech medical records system at nearby Franklin Memorial Hospital.

Computers at the Sandy River facility show up-to-the-minute medical records to nursing staff and physicians checking in on their patients. Sandy River staff access lab reports, x-ray and patient exams, physician instructions and discharge plans to provide the best care for their patients.

“It’s been especially helpful in our specialized orthopaedic unit to be able to access x-rays and lab results so quickly,” noted registered nurse Jennifer Breton, the director of nursing at Sandy River. “It’s wonderful to have immediate information at your fingertips, and not to have to wait for faxed results.”

This is the first time Franklin Memorial has given record access to an outside health delivery system. The hospital has been using the Meditech software since 1993, adding different modules through the years for various hospital functions like scheduling, payroll and inventory. Bill Colwell, from the Franklin Memorial IT staff, was in charge of bringing Sandy River Center online. He notes that using a centralized, computerized information system helps eliminate transcription errors, saves time faxing records, and allows different levels of access to information.