University Health System named to Top 25 for health IT connectivity
—Just two Texas hospitals earn this prestigious ranking—
(SAN ANTONIO – July 20, 2009) From Twitter to FaceBook, it seems like everyone is looking for better ways to get and stay connected and, when it comes to using new connectivity technology to delivery high quality care and improve operational efficiency, University Health System continues to be ranked among the best in the nation.
University Health System is one of the Top 25 Connected Healthcare Facilities in the country according to a recent study by HealthImaging Magazine, and making the total transition away from paper documents is much more complex than merely implementing an electronic medical record (EMR). “It’s about integration of multiple systems into the EMR. Picture Archiving Systems, OR systems, bed-tracking, anesthesia…almost all patient care functions are electronic and integrated,
explains Bill Phillips, University Health System vice president/Chief Information Officer.
“We are not talking about scanning documents into a record, but populating a knowledge-based EMR/Physician Order Entry System in a meaningful way that enables the system to automatically send alerts related to abnormal values, drug interactions, allergies or duplicate orders.”
University Health System has been garnering quite a bit of national attention for its success in “going paperless,” after being named to the 2008 list of 100 Most Wired Hospitals and designated as one of just 12 health systems to achieve Stage 6 in HIMSS Analytics’ EMR Adoption Model. This means that more than 99 percent of all University Health System patient orders are done electronically, and more than 99 percent of all patient charts are electronic and available via a secured website from any computer with internet access. “Not only can our providers see diagnostic reports online, they can view all of their patients’ radiological images and immediately create graphs to show changes and trends in vital signs or labs,” adds Phillips. In fact, University Health System will likely achieve the highest level, Stage 7, before the end of the year.
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