Mercy, the fifth largest Catholic health care system in the nation, was named a 2016 HIMSS Enterprise Davies Award recipient for achieving improvements in patient care through the use of health information technology. Mercy received the award from HIMSS based on four case studies that detailed how the use of health information technology and standardized clinical processes have improved patient care and the bottom line. The case studies included:
– Decreasing by nearly three hours the time it took to administer a diuretic to patients with heart failure. A diuretic helps to control patients’ blood pressure by reducing unnecessary salt and water in their bodies through increased urine production. The clinical process helped Mercy achieve mortality rates that are less than half the national average for heart failure patients.
– Reducing pneumonia mortality rates to less than half the national average and decreasing the time it took for patients with pneumonia to receive antibiotics.
Using surgical procedure data to help achieve $9.42 million in cost reductions, eliminate or minimize the use of certain surgical products, reduce variation in surgical protocols, establish best practices across surgical departments and ensure quality post-operative results for patients.
– Making improvements in clinical documentation to ensure physicians properly capture a clinical diagnosis. Through this work, Mercy has realized $65 million in additional revenue.
Each year, Mercy serves millions of patients at its 43 acute care and specialty hospitals and through more than 700 physician practices in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Through its supply chain, information technology and virtual care divisions, Mercy also extends its services and expertise to other health care organizations across the U.S.
“Mercy has long been laser-focused on bringing together all aspects of health care – including clinical, operational, technological and analytical functions – so we can collaborate and determine our best way forward for our patients and our organization,” said Gil Hoffman, Mercy’s chief information officer. “The Davies Award demonstrates how we’ve been able to blend the best of technology, talent and teamwork to bring better care and better health to our patients.”
Davies Award Background
Since 1994, the HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence has recognized outstanding achievement of organizations that have utilized health information technology (IT) to substantially improve patient outcomes while achieving a return on investment.
Davies Awards represent the highest level of achievement for electronic medical records excellence that HIMSS offers. The award is open only to organizations that have achieved HIMSS Analytics Stage 6 or Stage 7 designation for advanced electronic medical records. MU Health Care achieved Stage 7 designation in November 2013 for its transition from paper to electronic patient records in outpatient clinics. The Davies Awards program promotes EHR-enabled improvement in patient outcomes through sharing case studies and lessons learned on implementation strategies, workflow design, best practice adherence, and patient engagement.
