Starting
Small Leads to a Rural Hospital's Big Transformation
Kirby Hospital CEO discusses the challenges of being a
Critical Access hospital, and the benefits of partnering with
MEDITECH for I.T.
(11/4/2010)
MEDITECH is pleased to welcome aboard its
newest Critical Access customer, Kirby Hospital (Monticello,
IL). The 16-bed rural facility will begin implementing
MEDITECH's 6.0 solution in Spring 2011. And, as it prepares
for the upcoming implementation, Kirby is also embarking on
another ambitious initiative--building a new, state-of-the-art
replacement facility and medical office building to be called
Kirby Medical Center.
Like all Critical Access facilities, Kirby holds an important
role for its surrounding communities, providing care to
thousands of patients who would otherwise not be able to
easily access medical services. Institutions as small as
Kirby, however, often struggle with the money and I.T.
resources necessary to implement an integrated Health Care
Information System (HCIS). However, Kirby leaders discovered
that MEDITECH offers a particularly viable solution for
Critical Access hospitals: an affordable HCIS that is
scalable and flexible to meet the needs of facilities of any
size and complexity.
Kirby's Chief Executive Officer Steven D. Tenhouse, FACHE,
FHFMA, recently sat down with us to discuss his organization's
decision to move forward with MEDITECH, how he thinks this
partnership will better position Kirby Hospital for the
future, and why his patient community is just as excited for
I.T. adoption as he is.
To begin, why
did Kirby choose MEDITECH?
Although we are small, we have several affiliated physician
practices and a very busy emergency department. It was
important for us to find the right vendor who could meet the
myriad needs of our hospital, ED, and surrounding clinics. So,
during our vendor search, we came up with some scenarios and
asked each vendor to demonstrate how their system would
handle each situation. When it came to system functionality
and efficiency, MEDITECH was a hands-down winner.
What
do you look forward to most in partnering with MEDITECH?
There are many things I'm looking forward to that will now be
possible for our organization through the MEDITECH system--medication
reconciliation, statistical tracking, automatic error
flagging--but what I'm most excited about is automating our
manual processes. This will be a tremendous help for our
staff, and I'm very happy to alleviate the extra work they
currently have to deal with.
How
is staff morale for the new system?
Prior to signing on with MEDITECH, Kirby Hospital did not
have an electronic medical record (EMR). Our clinicians have
been asking for an EMR since 2008. Needless to say, they are
all very supportive of the new system and can't wait for the
implementation to begin.
How
does building a new facility fit in with your organization's
overall strategy?
Our new medical center will be a wonderful complement to the
MEDITECH system. The building will provide our staff with
better technology opportunities, including more hardware
devices and wireless access. We are always trying to stay up-to-date
on the latest trends in health care. We see our I.T.
initiatives as a very important part of this culture.
What
does your patient community think about the new building and
electronic medical record initiative?
Our patient community is really excited for both our new
facility and the new system. They are looking forward to more
streamlined processes, when they go to the hospital and also
when they visit their doctor's office.
Is
Kirby prepared for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA)? What advice do you have for other Clinical Access
hospitals that are preparing for the government regulations?
I'm confident that the clinical functionality within the
MEDITECH system will position our organization favorably to
meet the Meaningful Use criteria under ARRA. My advice to
other small organizations out there is, don't wait too long
to prepare. Work on getting the right I.T. partner and
strategic plan in place. It's wise to take advantage of the
stimulus money while it's still available.
MEDITECH
Medical
Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com