Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC First Pediatric Hospital in Nation to Achieve Most Advanced Electronic Medical Record

December 25, 2009

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC First Pediatric Hospital in Nation to Achieve Most Advanced Electronic Medical Record

Pittsburgh, Pa. - December 23, 2009 - Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC is the first pediatric hospital in the United States to achieve a Stage 7 Award from HIMSS Analytics for achieving a virtually paperless patient record environment and the most comprehensive use of electronic medical records (EMRs).

Only 0.5 percent of more than 5,000 hospitals in the United States have achieved Stage 7. HIMSS Analytics, a non-profit unit of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, scores hospitals based on their progress in completing eight stages, from zero to seven, of EMR adoption, and its studies have shown correlations between the use of advanced technology and higher quality of patient care. Children’s Hospital will be recognized as a Stage 7 hospital at the HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition in February 2010 in Atlanta.

“Being recognized as the first HIMSS Stage 7 pediatric hospital in the nation is a real testament to the dedication and commitment of the physicians and employees of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the UPMC information technology teams. The automation of clinical information across the continuum of care is a highly complex and challenging undertaking that can only be accomplished through outstanding teamwork and we’re extremely proud of this achievement,” said Christopher Gessner, president, Children’s Hospital. “Our investment in a comprehensive electronic health record and full automation leads directly to improvements in patient safety and quality. With the capabilities we now have at our digital campus, we will continue to improve clinical outcomes through the blending of compassionate, family-centered care and cutting-edge technology.”

Children’s Hospital began its transition to an EMR in 2002 when it became one of the first hospitals in the nation to implement Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE), a system that reduces the risk of medication and other errors. Since implementing CPOE, Children’s has reduced medication errors by 60 percent.

The HIMSS award represents attainment of the highest level on the EMR Adoption Model SM, which was developed in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of EMRs for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database. As the most advanced facilities, Stage 7 hospitals deliver patient care without the use of paper charts; are able to share patient information by sending secure, standardized summary-record transactions to other care providers; use their vast database of clinical information to drive improved care delivery, patient safety clinical decision support, and outcomes using business intelligence solutions; and are best practice examples of how to implement sophisticated EMR environments that fully engage their clinicians.

“As the first U.S. children’s hospital to achieve Stage 7, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC uses its electronic medical record not only to improve the quality of its patient care, but as a valuable tool for the many researchers on its staff,” said Michael W. Davis, executive vice president, HIMSS Analytics. “Children’s Hospital should be commended for its ongoing efforts to use technology to drive safety, quality and efficiency.”

The validation process included a site visit conducted by an executive from HIMSS Analytics and two independent current, or former, chief information officers to ensure an unbiased evaluation. Children’s uses a single integrated record based on the Millennium suite from Cerner Corp. and an interoperability platform from UPMC partner dbMotion, which supports the exchange of patient information from disparate systems both inside and outside of UPMC.

About Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Renowned for its outstanding clinical services, research programs and medical education, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC has helped establish the standards of excellence in pediatric care. From Ambulatory Care to Transplantation and Cardiac Care, talented and committed pediatric experts care for infants, children and adolescents who make more than 500,000 visits to Children’s and its many neighborhood locations each year.

Children’s also has been named consistently to several elite lists of pediatric health care facilities, including ranking 10th among children’s hospitals (FY 2008) in funding provided by the National Institutes of Health, and is named one of the best pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

About HIMSS Analytics
HIMSS Analytics is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The company collects and analyzes healthcare data related to IT processes and environments, products, IS department composition and costs, IS department management metrics, healthcare trends and purchase-related decisions. HIMSS Analytics delivers high quality data and analytical expertise to healthcare delivery organizations, healthcare IT companies, state governments, financial companies, pharmaceutical companies, and consulting firms.  Visit www.himssanalytics.org for more information.

• Comments (0) | Rating: 0/5
• By: Cerner Corporation, December 25, 2009