CHOC Hospital recently became one of eight children’s hospitals in the nation, and the only one on the West Coast, to receive the elite Stage 7 designation for its advanced electronic medical record systems, from HIMSS Analytics, an international leader in healthcare information. We spoke to Dr. Bill Feaster, chief medical information officer at CHOC, about this remarkable award representing the highest level on the EMR adoption model.
What were some of the highlights that allowed CHOC Hospital to achieve the HIMSS stage 7 designation?
We are now able to demonstrate that all clinical information about a patient we are caring for is either captured electronically or scanned into the electronic medical record. This has made the patient’s paper chart mostly irrelevant and all information is now accessible from Powerchart. We have also implemented many functions of the electronic health record to improve quality and patient safety. For example, nearly all our orders are captured electronically, and numerous safeguards are in place to alert the provider when dosages are incorrect, guidelines are not being followed, there are conflicts with allergies and other potential problems. Also required for stage 7 is the demonstration of “closed-loop” medication and breast milk administration, which avoids patient identification errors through bar coding of the patient and the drug or feeding being administered.
What is unique about the electronic medical record system and other information technology applications at CHOC?
We have adopted a fully-integrated Electronic Health Record and utilize nearly every application from that vendor. The advantage of that over a “best of breed” strategy is that all of the applications are designed to work together, and the number of interfaces and potential points of failure are minimized.
In your opinion, what does this recognition represent for CHOC and the hospital’s commitment to establishing a strong technology foundation?
In 2015, providing exceptional care to our patients requires a strong technology platform that guides and informs that care. It took tremendous effort and financial support from the hospital and its staff over the past 12 years to reach the current state. Recognizing that effort is gratifying. What is even more gratifying is seeing the dramatic improvements in quality and patient safety that are the true result of these efforts.
What technology initiatives or updates can physicians expect to see in 2015?
Our main focus this coming year within the hospital is to optimize the use of our Electronic Health Record through system enhancements and provider education. We are forging new connections to the community to improve provider communications, and will establish a population health management system and data warehouse that will target improving the care of patients outside of the hospital setting.
