Ron Melles, MD
TrackER and Notewriter
“After a lot of late-night programming, it’s very rewarding to have created something that has proved valuable to both my colleagues and our members.”
In an effort to improve the patient flow in his Department of Ophthalmology in 1995, Dr. Melles created a computer system to track patients at every step during their visit. With the information gleaned from the system, he and his colleagues were able to make changes that resulted in a more efficient practice and a 10-point improvement in their MPS scores.
In 1997, his program came to the attention of the Chiefs of Emergency, who needed such an automated, real-time, patient tracking system to meet demands of regulatory agencies and to improve the quality of care in the Emergency Department (ED), where time is of critical importance. After pilot testing in Santa Rosa in 1998, the system, called TrackER, is now in use in every ED in Northern California.
Meanwhile, Dr. Melles went back to his computer and developed a program called Notewriter, which he describes as “a user-friendly, front-end into CIPS.” One of the 200 TPMG physicians currently using Notewriter recently sent Dr. Melles an e-mail of thanks. Explaining that he’s able to leave his office about an hour earlier every day since he started using the program.