CHICAGO – Dec. 4, 2013 – HIMSS Analytics recognized Carolinas HealthCare System’s Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy (CMC-Mercy) in Charlotte, N.C., with its acute care Stage 7 award. The award represents attainment of the highest level on the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM), which is used to track EMR progress at hospitals and health systems.
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. There are eight stages (0-7) that measure a hospital’s implementation and utilization of information technology applications. The final stage, Stage 7, represents an advanced patient record environment. The validation process to confirm a hospital has reached Stage 7 includes a site visit by an executive from HIMSS Analytics and former or current chief information officers and a current or former chief medical information officer to ensure an unbiased evaluation of the Stage 7 environments.
During the beginning of the third quarter of 2013, 2.2 percent, of the more than 5,400 U.S. hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics Database, received the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Award
“As the first healthcare system to achieve Stage 7 Acute Award in North and South Carolina and rank in the top 2.2 percent in the nation, it shows our commitment and dedication to our patients,” said Craig Richardville, senior vice president and chief information officer. “This award recognizes that Carolinas HealthCare System is a leader in transformation utilizing electronic medical record technology to its fullest potential to provide access and care at the highest levels of quality and safety. Our leading healthcare providers use the EMR to identify patients quickly and accurately, coordinate care among multiple specialists and engage patients to become full partners with their providers in living healthier lives.”
Carolinas HealthCare System provides a full spectrum of healthcare and wellness programs throughout North and South Carolina. Its diverse network of care locations includes academic medical centers, hospitals, freestanding emergency departments, physician practices, surgical and rehabilitation centers, home health agencies, nursing homes and behavioral health centers, as well as hospice and palliative care services. Carolinas HealthCare System works to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of its communities through high quality patient care, education and research programs, and numerous collaborative partnerships and initiatives.
“CMC-Mercy has world class clinical and business analytics, with cutting edge ability to deliver real-time predictive alerting to the clinicians. In a world where provider-based monolithic patient portals are growing, they have deployed a different strategy with a multi-vendor patient portal allowing a holistic view of health consumption and health status,” said John P. Hoyt, FACHE, FHIMSS, executive vice president, HIMSS Analytics. “This is clearly a forward- thinking deployment of IT-enabled health records. Their system provides a good example of where Stage 7 hospitals are going.”
CMC-Mercy will be recognized at the 2014 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition on Feb. 24-26, 2014, in Orlando, Fla. Visit the HIMSS Analytics Web site for more information on the Stage 7 Award.
