University of Missouri Health Care was awarded the global Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Enterprise Nicholas E. Davies Award for Excellence for its health care technology innovations.
In partnership with the Tiger Institute for Health Innovation, MU Health Care submitted four case studies to demonstrate a robust use of information technology to improve patient care.
One case study demonstrated a return on investment throughout MU Health Care operations such has medication administration, population health management and emergency department efficiency. A second case study demonstrated a 25 percent reduction in the number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections at MU Health Care.
According to MU Health Care, a third case study used health information technology to improve communications, minimize delays and streamline the process for operating room starting procedures. And, a fourth case study ensured that data captured by various medical devices was accurately and efficiently integrated into a patient’s electronic medical record (EMR).
“At MU Health Care, we know that better health is a journey in which technology plays a bigger role than it ever has before,” Mitch Wasden, chief executive officer and chief operating officer of MU Health Care, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re committed to using technology to inform and transform how we care for our patients. We’re proud that this commitment has placed MU Health Care among a handful of health systems to earn the prestigious HIMSS Davies Award this year.”
Since 1994, the HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence has recognized outstanding achievement of organizations who have utilized health information technology to substantially improve patient outcomes while achieving return on investment. The Davies Award is open only to organizations that have achieved HIMSS Analytics Stage 6 or Stage 7 designation for advanced electronic medical records. MU Health Care achieved Stage 7 designation in November 2013 for its transition from paper to electronic patient records in outpatient clinics.
“Earning a HIMSS Davies Award is no small task,” Bryan Bliven, chief information officer at MU Health Care and executive director of the Tiger Institute, said. “Receiving this award validates our emphasis on using and developing information technology solutions to maximize patient care.”
MU Health Care has reached several milestones in the adoption of information technology to improve patient care, according to the health system.
In July, MU Health Care was recognized for the fifth consecutive year as one of the nation’s “Most Wired” health systems in the 2015 Most Wired Survey by the American Hospital Association. In February, MU Health Care gave patients the ability to view physician notes online after a visit. In August 2014, MU Health Care became the first academic medical center and the ninth health system in the country to meet federal Stage 2 “meaningful use” standards for its adoption of medical information technology to improve patient care.
