HOUSTON, Nov. 23, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HIMSS Analytics announced today that three of the 11 Memorial Hermann Healthcare System hospitals -- Memorial Hermann Katy, Sugar Land and Southeast -- have achieved Stage 6 on the EMR Adoption ModelSM (EMRAM). As the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas, Memorial Hermann supports a 5,000 member clinical staff and treats more than 1.4 million patients annually.
HIMSS Analytics developed the EMR Adoption Model in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database. Tracking their progress in completing eight stages (0-7), hospitals can review the implementation and utilization of information technology applications with the intent of reaching Stage 7, which represents an advanced electronic patient record environment.
Stage 6 hospitals
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Have made significant executive commitments and investments to reach this stage.
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Appear to have a significant advantage over competitors for patient safety, clinician support, clinician recruitment, and competitive marketing for both consumers and nurse recruitment.
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Have almost fully automated/paperless medical records when they have implemented their IT applications across most of the inpatient care settings.
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Are either starting to evaluate their data for care delivery process improvements or have already documented significant improvements in this area.
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Have made investments that are within reach of most hospitals and recognize the strategic value of improving patient care with the EMR.
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Have begun to create strategic alignments with their medical staff to effectively utilize information technology to improve the patient safety environment
- Are well positioned to provide data to key stakeholders, such as payers, the government, physicians, consumers, and employers, to support electronic health record environments and health information exchanges.
Stage 6 hospitals also have achieved a significant advancement in their IT capabilities that positions them to successfully address many of the current industry transformations, such as meaningful use criteria in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, claims attachments for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, pay for performance, and government quality reporting programs.
In the last 5 years, Memorial Hermann has created a single electronic medical record across its (11) hospitals, and these three hospitals—Memorial Hermann Katy, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land, and Memorial Hermann Southeast—have utilized the most advanced capabilities with complete digital imaging, voice recognition for physician reports, bar coding medication administration, computerized physician order entry, and clinical decision support. These advanced features have resulted in improvements in operational efficiency, clinical quality and patient safety.
"A critical aspect of our success to date has been the fact that implementing an electronic medical record is not really a goal by itself," said Robert Murphy, MD, Chief Medical Informatics Officer. "We see our EMR as a tool to help create the best patient outcomes. We have responded to the medical and clinical staff leadership in our hospitals to find ways in which technology can help them deliver outstanding and efficient care."
As an example of this, the three hospitals that have attained the Stage 6 designation have achieved "closed-loop" medication management. Physicians use computerized order entry with clinical decision support to ensure correct medication dosing and prevention of drug interactions. Pharmacists receive these orders without having to decipher handwriting, and use automated dispensing systems to have individual medication doses available on nursing units. Finally, nurses use bar coding technology to confirm the correct medication for the correct patients, and the computer checks all of this with the original physician order.
"Each component is an important step in improving medication safety, 'said Dr. Murphy. "But it is the final culmination of having all aspects in place that creates a highly reliable process for patient safety. We are very pleased that our Katy, Sugar Land and Southeast hospitals have reached the Stage 6 level for an advanced electronic medical record."
"HIMSS Analytics congratulates Memorial Hermann for leading the way toward health IT adoption," said John Hoyt, FACHE, FHIMSS, Executive Vice President, Organizational Services, for HIMSS. "Stage 6 represents a level of sophistication that only 150 U.S. hospitals have reached to date."
About Memorial Hermann
An integrated health system, Memorial Hermann is known for world-class clinical expertise, patient-centered care, leading edge technology, and innovation. The system, with its exceptional medical staff and 20,000 employees, serves southeast Texas and the greater Houston community. Memorial Hermann's 11 hospitals include three hospitals in the Texas Medical Center and eight suburban hospitals. The system also operates comprehensive cancer centers, the LifeFlight air ambulance program, the area's only burn treatment center, numerous imaging, sports medicine and rehabilitation, surgery centers, a wellness center, a chemical dependency treatment center, a home health agency, a retirement community and a nursing home. To learn more, visit www.memorialhermann.org or call 713.222.CARE.
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About HIMSS Analytics
HIMSS Analytics is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The company collects and analyzes healthcare data related to IT processes and environments, products, IS department composition and costs, IS department management metrics, healthcare trends and purchase-related decisions. HIMSS Analytics delivers high quality data and analytical expertise to healthcare delivery organizations, healthcare IT companies, state governments, financial companies, pharmaceutical companies, and consulting firms. Visit http://www.himssanalytics.org/">www.himssanalytics.org/ for more information.