Ohio State University Clinics Honored With Stage 7 Ambulatory Award

HIMSS Analytics, the research arm of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), has recognized 263 Ohio State University clinics) with its Stage 7 Ambulatory Award.

The award represents Ohio State University’s 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.

Developed in 2011, the EMR Ambulatory Adoption Model provides a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for ambulatory facilities owned by hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics Database. Stage 7 represents the highest level of EMR adoption and indicates a health system’s advanced electronic patient record environment.

During the fourth quarter of 2013, only 4.33 percent of the more than 20,000 U.S. ambulatory clinics in the HIMSS Analytics Database received the Stage 7 Ambulatory Award.

Located in Columbus, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is the only academic medical center in central Ohio and one of the largest and most diverse academic medical centers in the country. Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center includes a top-ranked College of Medicine, six hospitals, a unified physician practice, a network of primary and specialty care practices, more than a dozen research centers and institutes, and 20 core laboratories.

“Achieving Stage 7 is a result of our belief that the advanced use of technology can improve the quality of patient care and ultimately improve people's lives,” Phyllis Teater, CIO for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said in a statement. “Our EMR system, IHIS, allows us to make medical information available whenever it is needed by patients and health providers alike. We take this very seriously and are extremely proud of the people who made this a reality. That includes the project team and our community of users who work with us to adopt and improve the system.”