CHICAGO — Electronic medical records can provide the foundation for an effective “virtual” medical home for families and youth who seek health care in homeless and domestic violence shelters, a pilot program has demonstrated.
As part of a 5-year Anne E. Dyson Community Pediatrics Training Initiative grant, Indiana University and Wishard Health Services of Indianapolis have established an electronic connection (via the Regenstrief Medical Records System) between the community health service network's computer systems and the Julian Center for Domestic Violence shelter for battered women and children in Indianapolis. The shelter provides services to nearly 1,000 women and children annually.
The computer system links all of the large hospitals of Indianapolis, 13 homeless care sites, 44 clinics/offices in the community, and state health departments. When parents and children seek care at the domestic violence shelter, health care providers can access medical information for these patients in a password-protected format and can document the services provided.
This system “essentially facilitates a virtual medical home until a permanent medical home is established,” Dianna L. Fox, M.D., of Indiana University reported in a poster presentation at a conference on the Community Access to Child Health and Medical Home.
“Through an accessible computerized documentation system, providers can effectively transition youth in need to a permanent medical home,” Dr. Fox said.