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See Emerald Shine at MUSC by Shannon Spain Emerald Communications and Training Committee Pam Starr, an administrative specialist with the disability determination division of the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, has worked there for more than 10 years. Many of her cases come from MUSC. She uses OACIS, WebApps, Practice Partner and Family Medicine.  Can you describe an instance where the EMR has made a difference in your practice? “Being able to obtain records electronically has made a huge difference in our timely processing of claims. Where it formerly took two to three months to get records, sometimes it is literally the same day now. It is most important as we seek to serve the disabled citizens of South Carolina that we adjudicate these claims in an efficient manner. On more occasions than I can count, an examiner has come to me needing information vital to a case. When I am able to get that information on the spot, many a jubilant examiner has exclaimed, ‘That’s just what I needed!’” If you could have any one enhance-ment to the electronic medical record what would it be? How would that help your practice?  “There are still a number of MUSC departments and facilities whose records I cannot access. For those, I must send a request down, a process that sometimes takes two to three weeks. It would be a great help to us if more doctors and departments would make their notes available electronically. Every day we can save in the disability determination process benefits our claimants/your patients.”   Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.