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In mid-October 2023, Forensic Psychiatric Hospital (FPH) was the newest site to transition to the shared electronic health records system, CST Cerner, as part of the Clinical & Systems Transformation (CST) project. At the same time, BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS) rolled out an integrated Forensic Legal Application Solution for Healthcare (FLASH) – a unique requirement for this site to support its patient population and keep confidential legal information separate from the electronic health record.
CST Cerner and the related clinical practice changes are designed to improve the quality, safety and consistency of patient care across B.C. FPH now shares the system with approximately 40,000 care providers across Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care sites. This represents another significant milestone in modernizing health care in the province.
Moving forward, patients who visit FPH or other BCMHSUS facilities using CST Cerner – such as Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health and Addiction and Heartwood Centre for Women – can expect an enhanced care experience. With CST Cerner, care teams will have seamless and immediate access to their clinical information.
What CST Cerner means for Forensic Psychiatric Hospital
Switching to CST Cerner brings significantly more functionality at the point of care and truly modernizes how the hospital works:
- Patients now have safer medication management through computerized provider order entry and electronic medication administration documentation.
- Staff and medical staff have easier access to necessary information about patients’ condition(s), allergies, medications, investigations and previous medical history. They no longer have to search for charts, write orders on paper or decipher handwriting.
- Physicians at other B.C. health authorities not using CST Cerner can access ‘read only’ versions of patient medical records through CareConnect, the Provincial eHealth Viewer. Together with family and community physicians, they can also receive patient lab results, transcribed documents and discharge summaries electronically.
- Built-in privacy and security features ensure patients’ information is secure and only accessible by those who need to see it as part of providing care.
The overall number of CST Cerner users is now more than 40,000 across Vancouver Coastal Health, Provincial Health Services Authority and Providence Health Care. Learn more.
