MEDITECH Customer Appointed as
CCHIT Commissioner
(9/19/2008)
MEDITECH congratulates Jennifer Laughlin, vice president and chief information officer at
UW Health Partners-Watertown Regional Medical Center (Watertown, WI), on her appointment
as a Commissioner to the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology
(CCHIT®).
The Certification Commission, a private, nonprofit organization with a public mission of
accelerating the adoption of robust, interoperable health I.T., received and reviewed a
total of 85 applications across a wide range of stakeholders spanning the public and
private sectors of health care and health I.T. The Commission is composed of at least two
representatives each from the provider, payer, and vendor stakeholder groups, along with
representatives from other stakeholder groups.
Laughlin, who joins the 21-member board with seven other new commissioners, says she has
maintained a long-standing interest in the work of the Commission, beginning from its
inception in 2004.
"I've been very interested in the government's goal of electronic health records for
all Americans by 2014 and the Commission's role within that federal strategy," says
Laughlin. "I took the opportunity to apply to be a Commissioner because I've gained
valuable experience developing and implementing our hospital's EHR strategy."
Laughlin became particularly interested after observing the role played by her
organization's physician I.T. advisor, Dr. John McGuinness. McGuinness, who also serves as
a medical advisor to LSS Data Systems, participated in the CCHIT Inspection process for
the Medical and Practice Management (MPM) Suite, Client/Server Version 5.54, which is a
CCHIT Certified Ambulatory EHR product for 2007.
"As a result, I became more knowledgeable and interested in the process,"
Laughlin says. "I look forward to the dialog with other commissioners during their
monthly meetings and conference calls."
An exemplary MEDITECH customer since 1998, UW Health Partners-Watertown Regional Medical
Center (WRMC) recently became one of the 0.9% of hospitals in the United States to achieve
the prestigious Stage 6 Electronic Medical
Record (EMR) adoption recognition from HIMSS Analytics.
Barbara Hobbs, manager of electronic health records initiatives for MEDITECH, extends her
congratulations to Laughlin on her appointment and commented on the experience she brings
to the Commission.
"Both Jennifer and WRMC have been profiled by MEDITECH before for their successful
use of technologies and Advanced Clinical Systems, which make a difference in the
provision of care and patient safety and satisfaction," says Hobbs. "MEDITECH
recognizes the value Jennifer and her experience in implementing an HCIS will bring to the
Commission as its certification efforts continue."
Laughlin—a registered health information administrator (RHIA) with a degree in Health
Information Management and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee—is past
president (2007-2008) of the Wisconsin Health Information Management Association (WHIMA)
and a member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). She also
maintains memberships in the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE), the
National Association of Medical Staff Services (NAMSS), the Healthcare Information and
Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and the College of Healthcare Information Management
Executives (CHIME).
Concluding her two-year term as a CCHIT Commissioner is Denni McColm, chief information
officer at Citizens Memorial Healthcare in Bolivar, Missouri, another LSS Data Systems and
MEDITECH customer.
“I've enjoyed my two years on the Commission,” says McColm. “During my time with the group I've advocated for a more comprehensive and complete approach to the certification of EMRs in a way which can benefit small and rural hospitals and physician clinics without burdening vendors like LSS and MEDITECH with so many requirements that the software becomes cost prohibitive.”
According to McColm, Laughlin will be serving in the same role she did, representing hospitals and clinics to bring the experience of “real life” providers to the group.
“I wish Jennifer the best and know she will represent
the provider community well,” McColm says.
"CCHIT®" and "CCHIT Certified®" are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology.
MEDITECH
Medical Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com