The electronic medical record: implications for the laboratory.

This article describes experiences over the past 5 years with the application of a computerized patient record system and an electronic result inquiry system at Mayo Clinic. These systems now handle 56,000 results and 170,000 inquiries daily--94% relating to the laboratory. The goal of aligning laboratory services with clinical objectives is outlined with an emphasis on converting data into information and knowledge that can be used to improve patient care. Efficiencies noted thus far include a substantial reduction (68%) in phone inquires after deployment of electronic result inquiry. The electronic medical record has gone from concept to reality. As we transition into this new environment and attempt to fulfill the implicit hopes and promises this tool affords, we would wish to quantify its effect. One department lending itself to enumeration is laboratory services. The perspectives shared are gleaned from the Mayo experience and personal observations of the practice of laboratory medicine elsewhere.