HIMSS Analytics announced University Hospitals in Cleveland has achieved Stage 6 status on the EMR Adoption ModelSM (EMRAM). As of January 2014, 12.7 percent - just 682 US hospitals - of the more than 5,400 U.S. hospitals tracked by HIMSS Analytics had reached Stage 6 on its Electronic Medical Record Adoption ModelSM (EMRAM).
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.
"We are pleased that University Hospitals received this level of recognition from HIMSS," says John Foley, Chief Information Officer, University Hospitals. "The HIMSS Stage 6 designation demonstrates that we have achieved a significant advancement in our information technology capabilities that has positioned us to deliver the highest quality patient care."
Stage 6 hospitals:
•Have made significant executive commitments and investments to reach this stage.
•Appear to have a significant advantage over competitors for patient safety, clinician support, clinician recruitment, and competitive marketing for both consumers and nurse recruitment.
•Have almost fully automated/paperless medical records when they have implemented their IT applications across most of the inpatient care settings.
•Are either starting to evaluate their data for care delivery process improvements or have already documented significant improvements in this area.
•Have made investments that are within reach of most hospitals and recognize the strategic value of improving patient care with the EMR.
•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 December 2013, HIMSS Analytics audited UH for EMR use and adoption. UH successfully demonstrated advanced use of the EMR by having automated key components of the EMR across UH hospitals inpatient care settings. Specific areas of focus during the review included use of the EMR for advances in; key patient safety processes, clinician decision support, and electronic movement of data to key stakeholders to support electronic health record environments and health information exchanges.
UH Case Medical Center, including UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, UH Seidman Cancer Center along with UH community hospitals - UH Ahuja Medical Center, UH Bedford Medical Center, UH Conneaut Hospital, UH Geauga Medical Center, UH Geneva Hospital and UH Richmond Medical Center - have been added to the list of elite hospitals that have attained Stage 6.
"HIMSS Analytics congratulates University Hospitals for leading the way toward health IT adoption," said John Hoyt, FACHE, FHIMSS, Executive Vice President, HIMSS Analytics. "Stage 6 represents a level of sophistication that only 682 US hospitals have reached to date."
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