California hospital closes ED after EHR failure

Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, California, suffered a failure of its electronic health record system, prompting the closure of its emergency department Feb. 27, and creating problems with dispensing of medications, review of lab tests and diagnostic procedures, and reading of patient records.

The hospital had no back up plan, according to the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United. The EHR failure is the latest in a string of EHR disruptions at hospitals in the state. For instance, in August 2013, Sutter Health's nearly $1 billion EHR system crashed, leaving staff at its California hospitals and doctor's offices without access to patient records for a full day. The Registered Nurses at Antelope have asked the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to look into the incident. Announcement