THE FAMILY MEDICINE CLINIC MODEL Central to Westshore’s transformation is the establishment of a family medicine clinic that breaks from the hospital’s traditional tenant model. Launched in February 2024, the clinic represents Westshore’s first wholly owned medical service, giving King direct control over implementing digital innovations. “I’m looking at it differently because we can’t control the patient or the doctor, even when it comes to setting up electronic medical records,” King says of the traditional specialist model. “It’s a messy, old model which needs to be changed. The traditional Westshore specialists aren’t even using any of the basic tools like scribing, speech to text, to medical notes and coding. They are still scribbling with a pen. It really shocked me as the premier hospital in Trinidad and Tobago.” The clinic serves as the testing ground for Westshore’s broader ambitions. King has implemented OpenEMR, an open-source electronic medical records system. “We’ve customized it significantly. I chose OpenEMR because it’s open source, it’s a vibrant community, and we have access to do whatever we want,” he explains. Beyond basic digitization, the clinic anchors Westshore’s expansion into telemedicine and home healthcare services. King’s vision includes remote point-of-care diagnostics and traveling nurses equipped with portable devices, innovations particularly relevant as the Caribbean population ages and chronic disease management becomes increasingly critical. 45 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 06 WESTSHORE MEDICAL PRIVATE HOSPITAL
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