Contact: Sharon Sopp, 410.740.7646, ssopp@hcgh.org
Columbia, MD – Howard County General Hospital: A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine (HCGH) is one of only four hospitals in the state of Maryland and among the top 1.5 percent in the nation to be recognized for its successful adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) applications.
In 2005, HIMSS Analytics, a company that collects and analyzes healthcare data relating to information technology (IT) processes and environments, started tracking hospital use of EMR applications, with the ultimate goal of having all hospitals reach Stage 7 – a completely paperless environment. This will allow providers to quickly share electronic information and to use their vast database to enhance health care delivery and patient safety. As of June 30, 2009 only two hospital systems in the United States were at Stage 7, while HCGH, at Stage 6, is approximately 80 percent paperless.
Rick Edwards, HCGH CIO, commented, “We have been working on getting our hospital’s EMR systems to this place for several years, and we’re very excited about the positive impact electronic record keeping has on patient safety.”
Getting physicians on board is an extremely important part of the EMR success. Cardiologist Michael Silverman, M.D., remarked, “Our doctors have embraced the new system and recognize its benefit in improving patient care and safety. Orders are transmitted in a timely manner and other doctors can quickly access patient information via computer. Electronic ordering also eliminates the problem of illegible handwriting.”
“Computer-based order entry has boosted the safety of patients in the Emergency Department,” said Emergency Department Director Walter Atha, M.D. “We can immediately check for drug interaction and allergies and streamline order processing to the appropriate nursing and ancillary staff.”
Key areas of success in Howard County General Hospital’s EMR applications include the following:
• Physicians are now entering 65 percent of patient orders directly into computers. This greatly reduces miscommunication and error inherent in handwritten paper orders and records.
• Nurses and others who administer medications can verify electronic medication orders with code scanners to ensure that the right patient is getting the right medication in the right dosage, and at the right time.
• Digital X-rays, MRIs, CT scans and other test results are stored for review by physicians on high-resolution screens and are immediately available to other physicians and facilities involved in a patient’s health care.
• Electronic medical records can be accessed – with appropriate security measures – on-site or remotely, wherever needed: e.g., physicians’ offices or homes.
Deborah Harris, director of Clinical Informatics at Howard County General Hospital stated, “This recognition is truly gratifying for the Information Technology department and the hospital. We have worked collaboratively with our clinicians for years staging clinical implementations that have culminated in medication scanning as well as physician ordering and documentation practices that benefit our patients and staff. As we continue to move forward, our nurses and physicians and our IT staff who support the network are the key to our success.”
Howard County General Hospital: A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine since 1998 is a 227-bed, not-for-profit, health care provider located in Columbia, Maryland. Serving the community since 1973, the hospital has a professional staff of over 800 physicians and allied health professionals, representing 78 specialties and subspecialties; a workforce of more than 1,800 individuals and volunteer auxilians numbering over 600. Over the past three decades, the hospital has grown into a comprehensive, acute-care medical center that offers a full range of services, from neonatal care and oncology to outpatient treatment and critical care. |