The HIMSS Stage 7 Awards honors ambulatory facilities operating in a paperless environment and representing best practices in implementing EHR
HIMSS Analytics awarded MultiCare Allenmore Hospital and MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital with Stage 7 Awards, and over 100 of its associated ambulatory clinics, located throughout Washington, with Stage 7 Ambulatory Awards.
Stage 7 Award: 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.
Stage 7 Ambulatory Award: 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.
During the third quarter of 2014, only 3.4 percent of the more than 5,400 U.S. hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics® Database received the Stage 7 Award, and only 4.37 percent of the more than 27,000 ambulatory clinics in the HIMSS Analytics® Database received the Stage 7 Ambulatory Award .
“MultiCare has been committed to advancing our EHR for more than 15 years. We believe connecting all our providers and patients in a seamless and sustainable way supports safer, and more convenient care for our patients,” said Florence Chang, chief operating officer for MultiCare Health System. “This certification acknowledges the hard work and dedication of all of our staff members who contributed to this effort. We are well positioned for partnering with patients, providers and other health systems for healing and a healthy future.”
MultiCare is a not-for-profit health care organization with more than 11,000 employees and a comprehensive network of services throughout Pierce, South King, Thurston and Kitsap counties. MultiCare is made up of five hospitals including Allenmore Hospital, Auburn Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Tacoma General Hospital, numerous outpatient specialty centers, primary and urgent care clinics, as well as a variety of other services and community outreach programs.
“MultiCare Health System demonstrated a strong collaborative implementation to achieve clinical transformation with comprehensive on line structured documentation for all disciplines and CPOE which support discrete data capture for their aggressive analytics program. Another fine example of a comprehensive EHR implementation,” said John P. Hoyt, FACHE, FHIMSS, executive vice president HIMSS Analytics.
MultiCare Health System will be recognized at the 2015 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition on April 12-16, 2015, in Chicago, Ill.
Visit the HIMSS Analytics web site for more information on the Stage 7 award and Stage 7 Ambulatory Award.
