There have been longer waits at the SF State Student Health Center due to an upgrade in the center's system.

The new system, called Electronic Health Record, will electronically file students' health records rather than use paper charts.

"It's a great system, and a great change," said Graham Litchman, president of the student health advisory committee. "It's more accessible to things and it runs more smoothly."

The center will be taking fewer cases for the next few weeks as their staff gets acquainted to the system. However, they will still be taking emergency appointments.

The center is starting the new system this semester and will lower students' wait time, according to Litchman.

All of the students' basic information will be immediately transferred to the system when registering for classes.

Students will have access to their lab results, doctor-recommended articles, and other information online via the Secure University Portal, according to Dr. Alastair Smith, director of student health services.

Students will soon be able make appointments online.

Litchman wants to ensure students that multiple security measures are being taken, through Firewall, to maintain the students' privacy.

Schools using a similar system include Harvard, Stanford, UCLA and San Jose State University.

"This campus is ever-conscious to the environment and we are falling in line," Litchman said.

The new program wouldn't cost the students or the school any extra money.

"We haven't been adding new money. We are taking the money that the students had paid [with when they registered]," Litchman added.

The program was purchased two years ago to start the FamilyPACT program, which saved SF State students millions of dollars in pharmacy and laboratory costs, according to Smith.

Dr. Kay Gamo, a family physician who works at the center, says that the program is easier for the staff because the information is legible and manageable.

"I think once we get used to it, it's going to be helpful," Gamo said.