Newton Medical Center Selects MEDITECH, Moves Forward with Reporting Initiatives
(10/28/2009)

A hospital running disparate health care I.T. systems is commonly confronted with the challenge of managing patient and hospital data scattered across numerous databases. In this complex environment, the ability to benchmark and report on quality metrics for reimbursement eligibility becomes nearly impossible. This was certainly the case for Newton Medical Center (Newton, KS), which chose to replace its best-of-breed I.T. system with MEDITECH's integrated HCIS.

"When selecting a new HCIS, a strong reporting solution was among the top three things Newton focused on," says Jeff Webber, manager of I.S. "Using MEDITECH's Data Repository, which captures all our MEDITECH and non-MEDITECH data, coupled with the dynamic front-end provided by Medisolv, we have developed a strong reporting solution that positioned ourselves to provide the reports our executives and care providers had been craving."

Integration Positions Hospital for Reporting
MEDITECH's integrated HCIS was the perfect solution for a small hospital like Newton, which previously had to manage a number of disparate systems. "With an I.T. staff of about 10 to 11 people, we struggled with hosting a number of different databases; and, although reporting was important to us, we just did not have the resources to support our systems and also fulfill all of the hospital's reporting needs," says Webber.

Now, with a single repository storing the hospital's clinical and financial data, Newton is able to monitor all areas of the hospital with reporting in a way that was not possible before. "All data funnels through the same database, with no variance between departments," explains Webber.

Furthermore, the reporting solution is easy for non-technical staff to use. "Our new reporting solution provides staff members and department leaders the opportunity to create, manage, and analyze reports, without having to rely on the I.T. department," says Webber.

For the I.S. department at Newton, this new reporting solution enables staff to take control of their data, which proved to be difficult before implementing MEDITECH. "Unlike most proprietary databases which come with numerous rules, Data Repository enables us to take ownership of our data," explains Webber. "I have a shortcut to the reporting solution right on my desktop, which I access to move data around, find what I need, and manage data the way I want to."

Dynamic Reports Help Hospital Maximize on its I.T. Investment
With executives and staff fully committed to reporting, the hospital has seen a strong boost in the number of reports coming from their new reporting solution. "Newton is able to analyze our data in a manner that was not possible before," says Webber. "Now our management teams can find answers to vital questions or operational issues in a matter of minutes, such as: 'Why has there been a decline in the hospital's insurance reimbursement rates?' or 'What has led to the decline in the number of MRIs ordered by our physicians?'"

Like any hospital with a limited I.T. spending budget, Newton recognizes the importance of maximizing investments. "Our executives believe the Data Repository and Medisolv solution equips us with the tools necessary to leverage our data and improve operational efficiencies."

MEDITECH
Medical Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com