Innovation & Technology

Windham Hospital reached a milestone of epic proportions in 2016. On April 30, the entire hospital transitioned to the Epic Electronic Health Record System. Windham and MidState Medical Center became the first acute care hospitals in Hartford HealthCare to make the switch.

The transition means that instead of having separate medical charts, patients now have just one electronic medical record that can be reviewed and updated by each provider the patient sees at the hospital, as well as at Hartford HealthCare Medical Group and eventually all other Hartford Healthcare hospitals and outpatient sites across the state.

“I want to thank all of our staff who have worked so hard on this important initiative for our patients,” said Bimal Patel, Hartford HealthCare East Region President. “This will help us achieve our goals of providing seamless, coordinated care at Windham Hospital, the East Region, Hartford HealthCare and beyond.”

The Windham Hospital paramedic program has taken MARTTI translator services on the road.

The program is now utilizing an iPad—with two others on the way—with MARTTI (My Accessible Real-Time Trusted Interpreter) software which provides video interpreter services for more than 55 spoken languages and American Sign Language as well as audio services for about 200 other languages 24/7 to patients. The service began being offered in the hospital in 2015.

“We cover 13 towns and 360 square miles and respond to over 4,000 calls a year; and we care for a significant number of people who speak many different languages—everything from Spanish, to Mandarin, to Russian.  It can be difficult to communicate,” says Bill Muskett, EMS Program Manager. “Having translator services at the scene ensures an ever faster response to our patient’s needs. Effective communication can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.”