January 2009:
Carol Romano Honored with Medical Movie Award

February 2009:
Phase I of the Barcode Project is underway.  The Barcode Project aims to develop a process for positive patient identification throughout all areas of the Clinical Center.  It will eventually involve the barcoding of all inpatients (inpatients will receive a barcoded wristband and wallet ID card while outpatients will receive only a wallet ID card), laboratory specimens and blood vials.  These barcodes will improve tracking of people, specimens and materials and facilitate better tracking and coordination between departments. 

February 2008:
CRIS recently added a new feed of data to its warehouse.  On February 20, 2008, an interface was completed to link the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease’s (NIAID) own clinical information system, known as CRIMSON, with the Clinical Center’s CRIS.  Documentation from CRIMSON will now be available in CRIS, improving patient care and creating a more comprehensive repository for research. 

July 2008:
The second and final phase of implementing the Pharmacy Information System was completed on July 12, 2008.  The Pharmacy Information System allows CRIS users to take full advantage of the CC’s automated medication dispensing cabinets and interfaces with bedside barcode scanning systems.  It will improve patient safety and increase the efficiency of medication distribution by reducing the gap between when a medication is ordered and ultimately administered.  The first phase of the project was completed in June and included adding oral medications to SMM.  Parenteral drugs were added with the second phase.  For more information about Phase I, please see Pharmacy Information System

August 2008:
On August 28, 2008, DCRI and the Department of Anesthesiology and Surgical Services (DASS) released a way to automatically upload test results from point of care testing devices.  DASS nurses use a handheld device to measure blood gasses, electrolytes and glucose at a patient’s bedside.  Formerly, these results were transcribed by hand into a patient’s record.  Now nurses can use a Central Data Station that will feed results directly from the iStat into CRIS.  For more information, see Point-of-care testing links to CRIS/LIS with docking station.
       
In August 2008, DCRI welcomed a new Chief Medical Information Officer.  Dr. David Herion, who first started working at the NIH in 1992 with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), will replace Dr. Steve Luxenburg and work to tailor the development of CRIS to the needs of clinical researchers.  For more information, please see DCRI names Herion new chief medical information officer
 
October 2008:
Theradoc, new bioinformatics tool to survey and control infectious disease, was implemented on October 28, 2008.  This tool will be used by the Hospital Epidemiology Service to improve its tracking of hospital infections within the Clinical Center.  For more information, please see Tool searches for infections in the CC

November 2008: 
In November, ProtoType, the Protocol Typewriter, was integrated with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, (NINDS) Protocol Tracking Management System (PTMS).  ProtoType is an authoring tool that eases the process of writing protocols.  PTMS is a tracking system that traces protocols from initial submission to an IRB through completion.  The integration of these two systems now allows for seamless writing, submission and tracking of protocols.  ProtoType can be accessed at prototype.cc.nih.gov.
 

2007   
December 2007: Carol Romano Accepted to American College of Medical Informatics
July 2007: DCRI Staff Honored with Director’s Awards
June 2007: ICU CRIS Team Wins CC Patient Safety Champion Award
April 2007: Patty Sengstack Named Deputy CIO

2006   
August 2006: Jon McKeeby Named CIO
June 2006: Farewell to DCRI Employee Susan Harris
March 2006: CC says farewell to CRIS pioneer Dr. Rosenfeld

2005   
December 2005: Carol Romano Appointed Chief Nurse Officer with U.S. Public Health Service
August 2005: DCRI Employees Honored with Director’s Awards

2004   
Nov-Dec 2004: From MIS to CRIS
October 2004: CRIS Brings Bigger, Better Electronic Hospital Information System
July 2004: CRIS Go-Live