The Automation of the Clinical Practice: Lessons in Systems Management

Beginning in 1990, Reg Smith worked at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville where, as everywhere, physicians still recorded important patient information with pen and paper. A systems and procedures administrator, he and his team tirelessly worked to develop and improve the paperless outpatient practice.

Before the internet and social media became status quo, Smith’s team faced numerous issues in successfully automating clinical health records:

• Adding work stations, network wiring and necessary infrastructure to buildings not designed for them

• Identifying health care information technology vendors to accept the challenge

• Quantifying automation’s benefits sufficient to offset operational costs

• Compliance with legal requirements for medical documentation

• Ensuring against power failures or hardware crashes;

• Ensuring the security of medical records

• Acquiring physician support for the new system

The Automation of the Clinical Practice is a memoir of one man’s career in the health care industry during times of great change and opportunity. Smith recalls his twenty-four-year service with the Mayo Clinic and his role in developing the simplified automation process that physicians use today.