August 14, 2008 |
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Trinity Health Hospitals Launch Nation’s First
Rural Integrated Electronic Health Record System
Rural Network Represents Latest Progression of Genesis Initiative to Equip Community Hospitals with CPOE and Clinical Decision Support Tools
Novi, Michigan (August 14, 2008): In the sparsely populated plains of northern Iowa, three small hospitals made history with the installation of an integrated electronic health record system, transforming the way care is delivered in rural areas.
Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona, Franklin General Hospital in Hampton and Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage implemented a regional network called EHR10. The three hospitals are the first of seven Mercy Health Network - North Iowa rural facilities to implement computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and other clinical/revenue systems. The other four will follow suit in September.
The integrated EHR10 system is the first integrated network in a U.S. rural health care setting. While larger hospitals are more likely to have electronic health records, less than 3 percent of the nation’s small or rural hospitals (50 beds or less) tout a fully implemented system.
The rural hospitals are members of a preferred referral network through Mercy Medical Center – North Iowa, Mason City, a member of Trinity Health. The hospital implemented its fully operational digital health record in 2005 as part of Trinity Health’s system-wide initiative known as Genesis.
“This is the first effort to prove that an integrated system can be extended to rural areas,” said Joseph Swedish, president and CEO, Trinity Health. ““Trinity Health is deeply committed to clinical quality improvement and patient safety in every community we serve. Genesis is an essential component of our goal to create world-class quality care in the safest and most efficient environment possible.”
Genesis is an integral element of Trinity Health’s process improvement initiative to implement an integrated registration and electronic health record system across its network of community hospitals in seven core states.
The pioneering implementation in northern Iowa was facilitated by two grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The first grant, awarded to Hancock County Memorial Hospital, supported planning between Mercy-North Iowa, its rural hospital affiliates and county public / community heath agencies to ensure compatibility with the extensive electronic health record system used by Mercy North-Iowa and other Trinity Health hospitals.
The second grant supported a partnership between Mercy-North Iowa, the seven associated rural facilities, Trinity Health and the University of Iowa College of Public Health to implement a comprehensive integrated electronic health record complete with computerized physician order entry and clinical decision support tools and to generate lessons for future EHR implementations in rural settings.
“Our north Iowa health network is a reflection of our desire to generate lessons for the nation,” Swedish said. “The prospects for successful, systemic healthcare reform improve each day as these kinds of advances are made locally.”
Now patients at KRHC, FGH, and MCRHC will have their medical information stored in one electronic system, so everything from allergies, vital statistics, illness history, treatment records and nurse’s notes is kept in one place and is readily accessible to doctors and nurses throughout Mercy Health Network – North Iowa. The EHR system puts the latest evidence-based care information at clinicians’ fingertips when they need it: at the time care is delivered.
“EHR10 will help the hospitals that are a part of Mercy Health Network – North Iowa continue to improve patient care and safety, and leverage recruitment efforts as health care providers seek out employment with health care systems that are committed to investing in technology to improve patient outcomes,” said Doug Morse, Senior Vice President of Network and Clinic Management at Mercy – North Iowa.
“The best outcome of EHR10 will be improved quality of care for patients,” said Alan Hjelle, M.D., with KRHC. “When quality of care is increased because medications are delivered sooner and test results are accessible sooner, our patients can get better more quickly.”
Four additional Mercy Health Network – North Iowa hospitals will implement EHR10 in September. They are Hancock County Health Services in Britt, Palo Alto County Health System in Emmetsburg, Ellsworth Municipal Hospital in Iowa Falls, and Mercy Medical Center – New Hampton.
Trinity Health is one of the first multi-state health systems to engage in an advanced, large-scale initiative to increase efficiency and improve quality of care, using computerized tools to support clinical process improvements.
Over the next 18 months, Trinity Health will continue its nation-wide rollout with Genesis implementations at some of its largest medical centers in Maryland, Idaho, Michigan and California.
About Trinity Health
Trinity Health is the fourth-largest Catholic health care system in the country. Based in Novi, Mich., Trinity Health operates 44 acute-care hospitals, 379 outpatient facilities, 26 long-term care facilities, and numerous home health offices and hospice programs in seven core states. Employing 46,000 full-time staff, Trinity Health reported $6.1 billion in unrestricted revenue and $323.0 million in community benefit ministry in fiscal year 2007. For more information about Trinity Health, visit www.trinity-health.org.