CHICAGO (April 09, 2013) – Since 2005, HIMSS Analytics has tracked progress of electronic medical record implementation with its EMR Adoption Model? (EMRAM) for hospitals. Now, HIMSS Analytics announces the ambulatory clinics of NorthShore University HealthSystem as the first group of ambulatory facilities to reach Stage 7 on The Ambulatory EMR Adoption ModelSM (A-EMRAM).
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. These facilities include physician practices, clinics, outpatient centers and specialty clinics. Tracking their progress in completing eight stages (0-7), ambulatory facilities can review the implementation and use of IT applications with the intent of reaching Stage 7, which represents an advanced electronic patient record environment.
Stage 7 ambulatory facilities:
- Deliver patient care without the use of paper charts;
- Use their EMR and patient portal to drive patient engagement, and thus, improved health status through better health maintenance;
- Use their vast database of clinical information and evidence based practice guidance to improve outcomes using business intelligence solutions; and
- Are able to share patient information through private and public health information exchanges (HIE), which improves communications, speeds up appropriate care delivery, and ultimately, reduces unnecessary consumption.
The validation process confirms ambulatory facilities have reached Stage 7 with a site visit conducted by an executive from HIMSS Analytics and a Chief Medical Information Officer with ambulatory deployment experience to ensure an unbiased evaluation of the Stage 7 environments. Visiting a representative ambulatory clinic or clinics that deployed the same EMR applications and software, the validation team conducts both a comprehensive system overview and an analytics review to ensure improved health status indicators and understanding of the effectiveness of their patient engagement strategy.
“It is an honor to be recognized by HIMSS Analytics as the first organization to achieve Stage 7 with its ambulatory clinics. It is a testament to our leadership team and the work done by our clinicians and medical group, as well as our operations, information technology, analytics and training personnel,” said Steven Smith, Chief Information Officer at NorthShore. “Their dedication and commitment to working together and improving the safety and quality of care for our patients is what differentiates NorthShore.”
As the current data on the A-EMRAM indicates, as of March 30, 2013, HIMSS Analytics has recognized only:
- 1.10 percent of 19,234 ambulatory facilities at Stage 6; and
- 0.9 percent of 19,234 ambulatory facilities at Stage 7.
An explanation of each stage appears on the HIMSS Analytics website.
”The ambulatory clinics at NorthShore University HealthSystem offer a fully deployed, multi-specialty EMR, which is utilized in a completely paperless environment with a comprehensive analytics program that combines demographics and disease occurrence for informing public health agencies. Combined with their acute care environment, these clinics represent a comprehensive view of the patient’s medical record to all caregivers in any clinic location. Their patient engagement strategy has proven to enhance market share and significantly reduce ‘patient leakage’ to other providers in the crowded Chicago market,” says John P. Hoyt, FACHE, FHIMSS, Executive Vice President, HIMSS Analytics.
Visit the HIMSS Analytics website for more information on the A-EMRAM.
About HIMSS Analytics
HIMSS Analytics is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. 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.
