Othello Community Hospital second in nation to achieve Stage 6 on EMR Adoption Model

Jun 28 2010

Othello Community Hospital, an Inland Northwest Health Services (INHS)-networked facility, has been recognized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics as achieving Stage 6 on the EMR Adoption Modelsm (EMRAM). Othello is only the second critical access hospital in the nation to receive this distinction, a testament to its commitment to using technology to best serve patients.

"It is an honor for Othello Community Hospital to be recognized as one of a few select hospitals in the nation that have implemented information technology solutions that achieve high levels of automated patient care and clinical processes," stated Harry Geller, administrator. "Patients are benefiting from our technology investment through INHS, helping ensure the delivery of accessible, cost-effective and quality health care in our region."

HIMSS Analytics identifies and scores hospitals on a scale of zero to seven based on their utilization of health information technology to create a fully digital environment. No critical access hospital in the country has yet achieved Stage 7. Stage 6 functionality includes:

• Clinical decision support systems
• Computerized charting and physician order entry
• Physician documentation
• Ability to capture, store, distribute and display electronic medical images.

"Having accurate and timely patient data available electronically and in one place allows care providers to raise the bar even higher on patient care and quality," said Jody Ulrich, chief nursing officer. "In particular, evidence-based prompts through the decision support system enhance the quality of care for all our patients."

"Othello is one of the nation's leading critical access hospitals in the adoption of health information technologies to improve patient outcomes," said Fred Galusha, chief information officer for INHS. "INHS networked hospitals have access to shared IT resources including applications and technical staff. Othello Community Hospital is implementing a long-term health IT strategy that supports improvement in hospital processes and leads to even better patient care."