It’s now possible to use your laptop computer from your hospital bed at Harrison — or anywhere else in the facility as well.

Patients and visitors can bring their laptops or portable data devices to any of the three Harrison campuses, and surf the Internet or check their e-mail. Several computer terminals are also available to the public at the hospital in Bremerton, and are eventually planned at other locations.

Harrison is believed to be the first hospital in Western Washington to offer free wireless access.

“It’s part of our progress toward Electronic Medical Records,” said Adar Palis, Chief Information Officer. “We took our mission to heart, to provide extras to patients.”

Electronic Medical Records is a new trend for medical practitioners that does away with paper records. It uses cutting-edge technology that can integrate patient record-keeping and care management tools with tasks such as faxing prescriptions directly to pharmacies, remote access for doctors on call, built-in reminders, and better patient access to their records.

In Kitsap, many practices have been adopting EMR, especially since various lab procedures ranging from X-Rays to colonoscopies now deliver digital results and can be seamlessly integrated with a clinic’s records. Eventually, the medical profession may see EMR working with insurance company systems and nationwide file sharing that will benefit patients who travel.

At Harrison, the move to EMR has been under way as part of the organization’s IT strategic plan. The system is expected to be fully operational by 2010. Harrison is currently doing vendor demonstrations of software, and once a decision is made, contract negotiations are expected to occur by the end of the year, Palis said.

“Our strategy is to implement it slow so we do it right,” he said.

EMR provides not only portability and accuracy but also security, because backups can be stored securely offsite, he said.

EMR calls for portable wireless devices, so taking advantage of wireless technology to provide wireless service to customers was a customer service strategy, Palis said. The access uses Wi-Fi 802.11 technology, which most laptops support. Patients can even use their laptops in their beds — and the hospital network is secure so the public cannot access any files.

Palis said he has been at Harrison as a patient and a family member, and can appreciate the service first-hand. “I’m really excited about offering it to our patients and families,” he said.