HIMSS Analytics, the research arm of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, has awarded four St. Elizabeth Healthcare hospitals, in Edgewood, Ky. with Stage 7 Awards, and 110 of its associated ambulatory clinics, located throughout Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, with Stage 7 Ambulatory Awards.
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 first quarter of 2014, only 3.1 percent of the more than 5,400 U.S. hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics Database received the Stage 7 Award, and only 4.54 percent of the more than 24,200 ambulatory clinics in the HIMSS Analytics Database received the Stage 7 Ambulatory Award.
Elizabeth is sponsored by the Diocese of Covington and is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. “St. Elizabeth’s is an excellent example of a community hospital deployment of an integrated EMR for the ambulatory and acute care environments. Their data analytics shows that quality of care has improved in the St. Elizabeth’s Health System because of their comprehensive EHR,” said John P. Hoyt, executive vice president HIMSS Analytics. “They have used the EHR as a cultural transformation and it has supported numerous quality improvement projects that have driven dramatic improvements in quality, safety, and efficiency. HIMSS Analytics congratulates St. Elizabeth’s on their Stage 7 validation.”
On receiving the recognition, Alex Rodriguez, vice president and CIO of the health system, said, “St. Elizabeth Healthcare is honored to be designated as a HIMSS Stage 7 health system. We are proud of our many team members in the acute care and ambulatory setting who support our EHR. This recognition is also a testament of our physicians and clinicians who continuously use the technology to advance the safety, care and patient experience of the patients we serve.”
St. Elizabeth Healthcare will be recognized at the 2016 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition on Feb. 29-March 4, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nev.
