“We are pleased to be recognized for a third year at the national level for our efforts to improve the health of our community.  For a number of years, we have been heavily focused on implementing advanced clinical systems at the point of care that directly impact the quality of care provided to our patients.  We have expanded these systems outside of the four walls of the Hospital to include direct patient access to medical information using our patient portals as well as electronic information sharing with providers outside of Licking Memorial Health Systems (LMHS),” said Rob Montagnese, LMHS President & CEO.

LMH has adopted technologies which allow for real-time documentation of patient care, including integrated computer systems with advanced clinical decision support tools, voice recognition technology and computer-assisted diagnosis tools.  The likelihood of adverse events are reduced through the use of technologies such as computerized physician order entry (CPOE), barcoded medication verification, and the use of an electronic transfusion administration system.  Clinical imaging systems used for radiology and cardiology images are fully electronic allowing information to be shared in real-time between the Hospital and community physicians.  In addition, the My.LMHealth.org patient portal provides patients with immediate access to their information as laboratory tests, radiology tests, and other clinical information is created.

“We leverage technology at LMH to assist physicians, nurses, and other members of the clinical staff in making informed patient care decisions, improving patient outcomes, and reducing the opportunity for medical errors.  With the recent introduction of the My.LMHealth.org patient portal, patients are now able to be directly engaged in their care with real-time access to nearly all relevant clinical information created by their providers,” said LMHS Vice President Information Systems Sallie Arnett, M.S., RHIA, CHCIO.

Information security also has been a key focus of the Information Systems Department at Licking Memorial Hospital in recent years.  The Information Security team is focused on the confidentiality, integrity and availability of patient information.  “We respect the privacy of our patients’ information and do our best to ensure that our information systems remain private, the information contained within the medical record is accurate, and that our systems are operating at peak efficiency for patient care,” Arnett added.

Among some of the key clinical findings this year for LMH in particular: 

•    Physicians, nurses, and pharmacists are provided with real-time alerts regarding drug allergies, drug/drug interactions, drug/diet interactions and duplicate orders.  This improves patient safety and eases the burden associated with the complex process of prescribing and administering medications.
•    Using the My.LMHealth.org patient portal patients have secure, anytime, anywhere access to their hospital medical record information.
•    100 percent of cardiology and radiology images are acquired electronically and integrated with the Hospital’s electronic medical record.
•    The introduction of an electronic transfusion administration system that utilizes barcode technology to ensure that the appropriate blood products are administered to the right patient and automatically documented in the patient’s electronic medical record.
•    Patient vital signs information is captured electronically and interfaced directly into the Hospital’s electronic medical record.
•    100 percent of employed physician practices have implemented electronic clinical documentation, results viewing, CPOE, and decisions support.
•    The use of predictive analytics tools to help identify individual patients with a likelihood of future hospital readmission or imminent return visits to the Emergency Department.
•    Patient monitoring equipment which sends data directly into the EMR including bedside blood pressure, pulse oximetry, temperature, glucose, lab tests, and fetal monitoring.

Key findings from an Information Security perspective:
•    Implementation of a proactive privacy monitoring system that monitors and tracks access to the Hospital’s electronic medical record systems and warns of any possible inappropriate access.
•    External audit by a certified security organization of LMH’s information security controls to ensure compliance with best practices.
•    Continued use of strong authentication to verify the identity of individuals with access to confidential information prior to allowing access.

The annual survey is designed to measure the level of IT adoption in U.S. hospitals and health systems, and serves as a tool for hospital and health system leadership to map their IT strategic plans.  Conducted between January 15 and March 15, the survey asked hospitals and health systems nationwide to answer 88 questions regarding their information technology initiatives.  This year, health systems completed 680 surveys, representing 2,146 hospitals, or roughly 34 percent of all U.S. hospitals.

The four focus areas of the survey include:  infrastructure and security; business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety (inpatient/outpatient hospital) and clinical integration (ambulatory/physician/patient/community).  According to the survey, hospitals are ramping up their efforts to stop hackers and also working to boost their capabilities in telehealth and population health.  There has also been an increased emphasis on clinical staff training.  

Other matters growing in importance among the Most Wired hospitals and health networks include using data to make the transition from volume-based to value-based reimbursement; helping to connect hospitals in remote locations with specialists via video or audio; and continuing to work to make electronic health records more useful and shareable among different hospitals and health systems.  Detailed results of the survey can be found in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks (H&HN) magazine.  For a complete list of winners, please visit www.hhnmag.com.

The AHA is the national organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals and healthcare networks, as well as their patients and communities.  Nearly 5,000 hospitals, healthcare systems, and other healthcare providers, in addition to 43,000 individuals, form the AHA.  Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for healthcare leaders and is a source of information regarding current healthcare issues and trends.  For more information, please visit www.aha.org.