KANSAS CITY, Mo., NORWALK and PORT CLINTON, Ohio, Jan. 28, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fisher-Titus Medical Center and Magruder Hospital are expected to be among the first two all-digital, smart hospitals in the nation after implementing Cerner (Nasdaq:CERN) healthcare technology systems throughout both organizations in just 10 months. Cerner, Fisher-Titus and Magruder define a smart hospital, which is an expansion of Cerner’s Smart Room, as a fully-automated hospital that incorporates the patient experience into the provider’s workflow and proactively pushes relevant information to and from the electronic health record (EHR) to the patient and provider. This project will launch both organizations to the top five percent of automated hospitals in the nation and creates the infrastructure that could eventually build a connected health network.
Among the technology being deployed, including more than 35 Cerner Millennium® solutions, each hospital will transform patient rooms into private Cerner Smart Rooms. The Cerner Smart Room incorporates key elements of the patient and clinician experience to automate workflows and processes and coordinate care among providers. Each room is built with the patient experience as the primary focus and is equipped with an interactive TV the patient can use to access the Internet, view their EHR, access relevant health education resources, track daily goals and get to know their care team. This automation also improves patient safety by creating a Single Source of Truth™ for patient health information.
Fisher-Titus and Magruder are independent community hospitals that for 11 years have partnered to implement technology that enhances the patient care experience. The organizations made the decision to collaborate on the automation of their hospitals to develop best practices for technology deployment and begin to coordinate care in the region. Both organizations are utilizing Cerner’s MethodM® implementation service, which leverages best practices for installing the system, enabling more than 35 solutions to go-live in just 10 months.
“This is not simply an investment in technology, this is a transformation in the way Fisher-Titus and Magruder deliver care,” said Patrick J. Martin, Fisher-Titus Medical Center president. “By approaching this project together, we ensure that all of our care providers have access to the same information, in real-time and enables us to utilize the technology to enhance our patient care. Fisher-Titus and Magruder aim to become the standard in automated patient care.”
In addition to the Cerner Smart Rooms, Fisher-Titus and Magruder are automating each department within their hospitals, including surgery, pharmacy, laboratory, emergency department and the ICU. The implementations are scheduled to be complete this spring.
“The ability for our providers to be able to instantly access integrated, real-time patient information is a vital part of the care process,” said Cliff Harmon, Magruder CEO. “In addition, evidence-based decision support is built into the system, which allows our clinicians to more quickly make the best care decision, resulting in better patient outcomes.”
There are four major components of the Cerner Smart Room:
- A clinical dashboard gives caregivers a summary view of all relevant health information instead of having to click between different tabs in the medical record;
- The Room Wizard uses Real Time Location Service (RTLS) technology to alert the patient when clinicians or hospital staff enters the room and provides detailed information, including a biography and photo. Also located outside the room, the Room Wizard gives relevant information to providers such as allergies or alerts if the patient is a fall risk;
- Integrated devices such as IV pumps and blood pressure monitors, feed data directly into the EHR, eliminating transcribing errors and updating the EHR in real-time;
- The interactive patient station allows patients and their families to actively participate in the care process; including access to clinical team member bios, a schedule for the day and the ability to update and track goals, surf the Internet and order movies.
“The U.S. healthcare system currently does not focus on the patient experience, but Fisher-Titus and Magruder share our vision that the process should revolve around the patient, not the other way around,” said Trace Devanny, Cerner president. “Cerner believes that Fisher-Titus and Magruder will be the first all-digital, smart hospitals in the nation and will serve as a model for a standard of care that all consumers should expect from their healthcare providers.”
The automation of these two smart hospitals will create the infrastructure that could allow Fisher-Titus and Magruder to connect and securely share information through a health information network. Through this network, consumers could easily access their health record anywhere, at any time.
About Cerner
Cerner is transforming healthcare by eliminating error, variance and waste for healthcare providers and consumers around the world. Cerner® solutions optimize processes for healthcare organizations ranging in size from single-doctor practices, to health systems, to entire countries, for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, and for the healthcare commerce system. These solutions are licensed by more than 8,000 facilities around the world, including approximately 2,100 hospitals; 3,300 physician practices covering more than 30,000 physicians; 500 ambulatory facilities, such as laboratories, ambulatory centers, cardiac facilities, radiology clinics and surgery centers; 600 home-health facilities; and 1,500 retail pharmacies. The trademarks, service marks and logos (collectively, the "Marks") set forth herein are registered and unregistered trademarks and/or service marks owned by Cerner Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and certain other countries throughout the world. Nasdaq:CERN. For more information about Cerner, please visit our Web site at www.cerner.com.
About Fisher-Titus Medical Center
Fisher-Titus Medical Center is an award-winning, highly-advanced community hospital serving North Central Ohio. FTMC offers area residents a full continuum of care that includes Fisher-Titus Memorial Hospital, a 98-bed acute care hospital; Norwalk Memorial Home, a 69-bed skilled nursing facility; The Carriage House of Fisher-Titus, a 48-unit assisted living facility; and a Home Health Center. The hospital provides a full range of the latest inpatient and outpatient diagnostic, therapeutic, and ancillary services and has earned multiple accreditations and quality recognitions including HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award two years in a row. In addition, Fisher-Titus is a Level 3 Trauma Center and Primary Stroke Center. For more information, visit www.ftmc.com.
About Magruder Hospital
Magruder Hospital, located in Port Clinton, Ohio, is a non-profit hospital serving a population of over 40,000 residents in Ottawa County. As a state-of-the-art critical access hospital, Magruder employs nearly 400 people and receives support from 120 volunteers. The hospital has 30 active and 100 courtesy staff physicians in an array of specialties. Its 24- hour emergency room, physician practices, and a large variety of outpatient and inpatient services, allows it to meet the healthcare needs of the community. For more information about Magruder Hospital, please visit www.magruderhospital.com.
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