Health notes

Helen Ellis adopts computer order entry system

Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital in Tarpon Springs has ceased the use of handwritten physician and provider orders for all inpatients in favor of a new, computerized provider order entry system, or CPOE, designed to drastically reduce medical errors and speed up patient care.

"This is a gratifying time for everyone in the Helen Ellis family, because it's another instance where we're implementing new technology to make our hospital the best it can be," said Bruce Bergherm, the hospital's president and CEO.

Such computerized systems are widely regarded as a technical solution to medication ordering errors. Implementing CPOE means physicians actually place orders directly into the electronic medical record, eliminating paper, reducing errors and decreasing the amount of time elapsed from physician order to patient care. Published studies report that CPOE reduces medication errors and saves hundreds of billions in annual costs.

Dr. Philip Smith, vice president and chief medical information officer for Adventist Health System, the operating company for Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital, said implementing a full-scale CPOE system at other AHS hospitals facilitated broad clinical care improvements, including a reduction in adverse drug effects, less time spent clarifying medication orders and changes in physician behavior resulting in improved patient care.

"With providers entering orders directly into the system, we are not relying on someone else's interpretation of what the plan is," explained Smith. "We're removing the middleman between the provider and the patient's treatment."

Helen Ellis employees have been preparing for the transition for several months.

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Dr. Lisa's Family Chiropractic & Natural Health Care will host a grand reopening from 5 to 8 p.m. today at its newly remodeled office located at 1114-C Florida Ave., Palm Harbor.

Meet the doctor and her team and learn about a wide range of chiropractic techniques and alternative therapies offered by the center. Refreshments will be served.

Call (727) 772-1966 or visit MyDrLisa.com.

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Palm Harbor Family Counseling Center will offer a conference for women who want to create healthier and more loving relationships with themselves and their bodies, with food, and with significant others. The conference will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 3 at Countryside Country Club, 3001 Countryside Blvd., Clearwater.

In addition to seven speakers discussing a variety of women's issues, the event includes massages, healthy snack recipes with a personal chef, tips on life management from a professional organizer, hand and lip pampering, fitness consultations, art exercises and samplers of yoga, Zumba and sound therapy.

Lunch will be provided.

Tickets are $60. A sliding scale is available. Please inquire.

This fundraising event supports the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals–Tampa Bay Chapter in its efforts to increase community awareness, effective treatment and the prevention of eating disorders in the Tampa Bay area.

Registration deadline is Tuesday. To register, call Palm Harbor Family Counseling Center at (727) 254-9183 or visit PHcounseling.com.

Seminars, classes and support groups

ALZHEIMER'S CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP: Meets at 9:30 a.m. Mondays, Palm Harbor Community Activity Center, 1500 16th St. (727) 787-1837.

FOOD ADDICTS IN RECOVERY ANONYMOUS: 7 p.m. Tuesdays, (727) 501-2125, and 8:30 a.m. Saturdays, (727) 786-3113. Both at Clearwater Community Church, Room 103, 2897 Belcher Road, Dunedin. For details, visit foodaddicts.com.

NAR-ANON FAMILY GROUP: Meetings are at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Mondays, except holidays, at Crystal Beach Community Hall, 517 Crystal Beach Ave.; 8 p.m. Tuesdays at First United Methodist Church, Educational Building, second floor in "the Parlor," 421 Main St., Dunedin; and 7 p.m. Wednesdays at St. Paul's United Methodist Church Annex, Open Arms Resource Center, 1897 Highland Ave., Largo. Call toll-free 1-888-947-8885 or visit naranonfl.org.

mid-pinellas brain trauma SUPPORT GROUP: Meets at 6:30 p.m. the first and third Thursday of every month at St. Paul United Methodist Church, Christian Life Enrichment Center, Room 201, second floor, 1498 Rosary Road, Largo. Call (727) 442-1819 or visit midpinellasbraintraumasupport group.com.

TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY (TOPS):

• 9 to 10 a.m. Wednesdays at Heritage United Methodist Church, Room 11, 2680 Landmark Drive, Clearwater. The first meeting is free. Call (727) 726-2681.

• 9 to 11 a.m. Thursdays at Union Street United Methodist Church, Choir Room, 1625 Union St., Clearwater. Call (727) 461-7101 or email boots@tampabay.rr.com.

• 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Thursdays at First Baptist Church of Ozona-Palm Harbor, 610 Pennsylvania Ave., Ozona. The group meets in the building in the back. Call (727) 786-1484 or (727) 785-9564.

Celiac Support Group: Celiac disease, an intestinal disorder, affects one out of every 133 people. There is no cure, but it can be controlled by going on a gluten-free diet. Some find that going gluten-free is not as easy as it sounds. A support group can help. Meetings are at 10 a.m. the third Saturday of every month at Mease Countryside Hospital, Meeting Rooms 1, 2 and 3, 3231 McMullen-Booth Road, Safety Harbor. Call (727) 734-0561 or email bkelly1@ tampabay.rr.com.

Recovery International: Abraham Low Self-Help System, a weekly support group for people suffering from anxiety, panic attacks and symptoms caused by fear and anger, meets at these times and locations: 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Lakeview Community Church, 475 East Lake Road N, East Lake, (727) 942-4095; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Grace Lutheran, 1812 Highland Ave., Clearwater, (727) 942-9008; and 10 a.m. Saturdays, St. Paul United Methodist Church, 1199 Highland Ave. NE, Largo, (727) 586-2585, or leave a message at (727) 525-1749. Support group is free, but offerings are appreciated.

Mail health news to Nova Beall at 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756, fax to (727) 445-4119 or email sbeall@tampabay.com.

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Health notes: Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital adopts computerized order entry system