Wallingford-based Gaylord Specialty Healthcare will be getting $4.5 million in state bond funds to replace its 18-year-old electronic medical records system.
The State Bond Commission recently approved the funding.
Gaylord is a nonprofit health system focused on rehabilitation for both inpatients and outpatients. It provides long-term care for people who need rehab, such as those injured in accidents, stroke victims or those with long-term COVID.
Sonja LaBarbera, Gaylord’s president and CEO, noted that most patients come to Gaylord from acute care hospitals following a life-altering illness or injury.
According to LaBarbera, an upgraded system will allow for “streamlined communications with referring hospitals and physicians and an expedited admission process for patients.”
The new technology, called the MEDITECH Expanse system, will provide for patient portal e-prescribing, scanning, archiving electronic patient signatures, real-time clinical decision support, real-time clinical and financial analytics, and quality and safety surveillance efforts, according to Gaylord.
The new system will also allow Gaylord to connect to the national EPIC healthcare system for patient record portability.
The hospital’s administration thanked state leaders for their help in obtaining the state bond funds, particularly Gov. Ned Lamont, Speaker of the House Matthew Ritter, and State Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford.
“This investment in Gaylord will be felt state-wide and will help us provide seamless delivery of care for our patients,” LaBarbera said.
Mushinsky said the upgrade will mean Gaylord will have the same modern medical records system used by nearby acute care hospitals.
“We are very proud in Wallingford that Gaylord stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic and treated more than 350 patients diverted from other acute care hospitals,” Mushinsky said, in an announcement. “They should have the same technology as the other acute care hospitals.”
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.
