Health Center's paperless system causing long waits

University of Nebraska-Lincoln students are experiencing something new at the University Health Center this year: a lengthy wait in long lines.

This past summer, the health center switched to a completely paperless system. The system, Electronic Medical Record, eliminates the need for paper files.

Until the bugs are completely worked out of the system, the check-in process and wait at the health center will be longer, said Jennifer Snyder, the marketing coordinator for the health center.

"We are still in the learning process," she said.

In the long term, the new electronic system will make jobs easier. The doctors will be able to bring up a patient's history immediately, and it will eliminate the need for extensive questions, Snyder said.

The new system is causing delays, and scheduling appointments can take twice as long on some days. But it all depends on the day, Snyder said.

All of the employees are still learning what the system has to offer. Until the system is completely learned, the majority of appointments will involve a lot of waiting, she said.

Many students understand the importance of the technology to the university and the health center, and some do not mind the delays.

In time it will be worth it, said Morgan Swisher, a freshman biology major at UNL.

Swisher said she feels the health center's service has not gone down in any way because of the new system.

But other students are annoyed by the delays.

Sam Jorgenson, a junior film studies major, said waiting is an inconvenience.

"If I plan on being there for an hour and it takes me two, my whole schedule can be thrown off," he said. "It's really frustrating."

Employees also are frustrated with learning the new system, Snyder said.

"They know they could go faster, but it's so much slower than what they're used to," she said.

UNL students are not the only college students enduring long doctor visits.

Snyder said the majority of college campuses across the nation are using the new completely electronic system.

Fortunately, once health center employees learn the new system, new features will be added, Snyder said.

Instead of staff filling out the health center's pink medical history sheets, students will be able to fill out their own electronically, saving even more time for both students and employees, Snyder said.

Students will have to endure the wait for now, she said, but eventually the system will make appointments even faster than before.

"It will be the wave of the future," she said.