“Maybe you’re a dietitian, and you’ve wondered ‘Oh, should I have an EMR?’ Well, that answer’s yes, because you can get those referrals. You can use P2P. You can use the physician portal.”
Dr. Timothy S. Harlan, executive director, Goldring Center
Problem
In 2012, Tulane University founded the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine to advance the goals of quality nutrition education both within the academic medical community and throughout Greater New Orleans. They needed a healthcare IT partner with the flexibility and creativity necessary to work with a nontraditional approach to health.
Solution
Goldring Center personnel have used the eClinicalWorks EHR to track the health of their patients — including blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, cholesterol, and medications — while using Patient Engagement and Population Health tools to monitor community health progress and shape thinking about nutrition education.
Results
Patients taking classes at the Goldring Center have lost weight, learned how better to control high blood pressure and diabetes, and have enjoyed a “food first” approach to health. Providers have begun to amass evidence that supports a broader role for nutrition education, both in medical schools and all kinds of medical practices.
About the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine
The Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine was founded in 2012 under the aegis of Dr. Timothy S. Harlan, an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. The Center takes a “food first” approach to nutrition and health, helping referred patients improve their dietary habits and better control health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure while promoting nutrition education in academic medical settings.