The INPC system provides ER doctors in Indianapolis with an abstract containing treatment history and test results that they can refer to before embarking on a treatment path, he said.

"The abstract speaks for the patient -- especially when they can't speak or if they are unconscious," Finnell said.

The RHIO is now in the midst of several more projects to extend the EMR system.

For instance, Wishard's emergency room this month began testing rules-based software with the EMR system that can alert staff of patients who need a flu shot. A full-time paramedic mans the system and offers inoculations to patients in high-risk categories, Finnell said. The data from that effort is being compiled to determine whether the program helps to reduce the number of reported flu cases, Finnell added.

The hospital's emergency department is also testing a new interface that can be used to add information on a patient's temperature, blood pressure and other vital signs to detect patterns that might indicate the outbreak of a disease like avian flu.