Westbury Hospital to implement Prognosis ChartAccess Comprehensive EMR

Westbury Hospital is implementing an electronic medical records system from Prognosis Health Information Systems – a move that is putting the new 137-bed acute care hospital on the fast track toward meeting meaningful use requirements and qualifying for incentive funds associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

"We are a brand new hospital and we know that electronic records are a key to the future," says Roger Glass, CEO of Westbury Hospital. "There is a lot of redundancy in the way healthcare is currently delivered and we want to change all that. From the very start, we will be leveraging electronic records to get patients the best care that they need, when they need it without wasting a lot of time getting the same information over and over from patients or ordering the same tests again and again. We also want to make sure that we are getting a jump on meeting ARRA's meaningful use requirements."

To get an electronic records system up and running in quick order, Westbury leaders realized that they would need a solution that offers the features and functions that clinicians will actually use from the get-go. As a result, leaders evaluated a number of systems and chose ChartAccess® Comprehensive EMR from Prognosis. Designed by clinicians, ChartAccess provides the user-friendly features that synch with user preferences. For example, screens that mimic e-mail interfaces make it easy for medical staff, even those who are technology resistant, to utilize the system right out of the box. An iPhone application even makes it possible for clinicians to view and process orders from their cell phones.

With these user-friendly features, Westbury will roll out the system quickly. Hospital leaders expect to implement the technology department by department – and have the solution fully operational in about three months.

In addition, the electronic records system is designed to help Westbury quickly meet the government's meaningful use requirements and qualify for incentive funds.

"The system will monitor how we are doing with 23 meaningful use requirements and actually prompt us to comply. For example, a lot of times, you might be meeting the guidelines but not documenting it. The system's clinical pathways feature will provide a 'hard stop' and prompt the user to properly document what they are doing," Glass says.

As a result, ChartAccess will help Westbury meet the initial meaningful use deadline, which requires hospitals to use computerized provider order entry (CPOE), incorporate lab results in the records system as structured data and implement five clinical decision support rules by October of 2010.

"Implementing electronic records and realizing meaningful use are among the most pressing demands for healthcare organizations across the country. We have designed our system to make it easy for all kinds of healthcare providers to realize all of the clinical and financial benefits associated with electronic records. Plus, we have made sure that ChartAccess not only provides a means to comply with meaningful use but also guides providers as they work toward qualifying for incentive funds," says Ramsey Evans, CEO of Prognosis Health Information Systems.