York, Pa.-based WellSpan Surgery and Rehabilitation Hospital has reached Stage 7 on the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM), developed by HIMSS Analytics, the research arm of the Chicago-based Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
WellSpan Health is an integrated health system that serves the communities of central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. The organization is comprised of a multispecialty medical group of more than 850 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a home care organization, six hospitals, more than 15,000 employees, and more than 140 patient care locations.
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 to ensure an unbiased evaluation of the Stage 7 environments. During the second quarter of 2015, only 3.7 percent of the more than 5,400 U.S. hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics database received the Stage 7 Award.
“A couple of themes that clearly stood out during our visit to WellSpan Health included strong operational and governance support of their overall electronic health record (EHR) efforts and a commitment to clinical leadership in their IT strategy,” John Daniels, global vice president, healthcare advisory services group, HIMSS Analytics, said in a statement. “This approach was evident in the case studies they presented that showed significant benefits realization in improved outcomes and cost savings.”
WellSpan Surgery and Rehabilitation now joins the 4.1 percent of 5,400 U.S. hospitals to achieve HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 by the third quarter of 2015.
“WellSpan Surgery and Rehabilitation Hospital is an exceptional facility that was built around leveraging the electronic medical record, and it is deserving of the recognition it has achieved,” R. Hal Baker, M.D., senior vice president, clinical improvement and chief information officer at WellSpan Health said, also noting that the award recognizes WellSpan’s “exceptional integration of biomedical devices with the electronic medical record.”
WellSpan Surgery and Rehabilitation Hospital will be recognized at the 2016 HIMSS Conference & Exhibition on Monday, Feb. 29-Friday, March 4 at the Venetian-Palazzo-Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
