YRMC taps Bernstein to lead electronic record effort

Yuma Regional Medical Center has a new chief medical information officer (CMIO). Dr. Bart Bernstein will provide physician leadership in the development and implementation of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), which will eliminate the need for paper records.

Bernstein, a local pediatrician, has operated a practice in Yuma since 2004.

“We are proud to welcome Dr. Bernstein in his new role at YRMC. His knowledge and longtime dedication to the advancement of patient safety and quality will serve as a tremendous asset to our hospital and community,” said Gene Shaw, vice president, Information Technology and chief information officer.

“Our successful implementation of the Electronic Health Record will depend on the open collaborative leadership skills that Dr. Bernstein has demonstrated on many levels during his history of care in our community.”

Bernstein is a former chairman of the YRMC Department of Pediatrics. Additionally, he has been the medical director of the YRMC Pediatric Clinical Service Line since 2009 and will continue in this role while CMIO.

Bernstein holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California-San Diego. Subsequently he completed a pediatric residency and infectious disease fellowship at the University of California- Irvine. He was an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California-Irvine through 1995.

EHR will cost YRMC $73.3 million over five years and has created 49 new jobs at the hospital, including Bernstein's.

The project is one of the single largest investments the hospital has ever made, YRMC reported.

“The benefits continue to outweigh the cost. We know we'll be much more effective as an organization,” Shaw previously told the Yuma Sun.

The program will also include prescriptions and link patient records from local providers who already use the electronic system, and will instantly link electronic records nationwide.

By 2012, patients will be able to access related online technologies to locate physicians, schedule medical appointments, obtain testing instructions, check laboratory results, access education materials, pay their bills and contact their physicians as well as other providers, YRMC stated.

Essential to the project will be the review and redesign of patient care processes with a focus on ensuring the best outcome for every patient every time, YRMC reported.

Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.