Watertown
Regional Medical Center Achieves Prestigious Stage 6
Recognition
(9/4/2008)
MEDITECH extends its congratulations to customer UW Health Partners-Watertown Regional Medical Center (WRMC), located in Watertown, WI, for being among the 0.9% of hospitals in the United States to achieve the prestigious Stage 6 Electronic Medical Record (EMR) adoption recognition from HIMSS Analytics. The site joins Citizens Memorial Healthcare and St. Agnes Healthcare as the third MEDITECH customer to attain this milestone. When we reported on our first two Stage 6 hospitals back in the spring, we were unaware this article would eventually become the inspiration for the latest honoree.
Citizens, in particular, became a model example for WRMC—not only for also being a MEDITECH customer, but also because they were the only hospital under 100 beds to achieve Stage 6.
"We did not know much about the HIMSS model until reading about Citizens, and the path they took to reach Stage 6," says Jennifer Laughlin, vice president and CIO at WRMC. "I called their CIO Denni McColm, to get her advice on how a similar-sized hospital like WRMC could facilitate physician buy-in and optimize the utilization of their MEDITECH solution to achieve Stage 6."
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BV
Closes Medication Loop, Leads to Stage 6 On McColm's advice, WRMC then placed a call into HIMSS Analytics, to explore where they ranked among the EMR adoption stages. Their results did not come as a surprise—WRMC had been recognized as a pioneer in the industry, including a five-time winner as a "Most Wired" hospital for utilizing health care information technology to improve the quality and safety of care. "After being surveyed, we learned we were close," says Laughlin. "The only thing we needed to work on was bar coding at the bedside, to close the medication loop." Working with MEDITECH, WRMC set out a plan to implement Bedside Verification (BV), reaching their target go-LIVE date of July 2008. "Our Director of Pharmacy, John Schloemer, was the point person for implementing BV. John did a great job helping our staff stick to the timeline for our BV go-LIVE," says Laughlin. After giving their new BV solution time to stabilize, WRMC put another call into HIMSS Analytics—and this time, they were thrilled to learn they had earned a spot as one of the 21 hospitals in the nation to reach Stage 6. Clinician Leadership Fosters
Physician Buy-in |
"We looked
to our clinical leaders," says Laughlin. "It's
important that not all technology projects be driven by I.T.
We wanted to keep the patient at the center, and get our
clinical leaders involved."
Among the clinical leaders was Dr. John McGuinness, physician
I.T. advisor at WRMC. As the liaison between the I.T. team
and clinicians, Dr. McGuinness was able to field concerns
coming from both ends of the spectrum, giving WRMC a leg up
on the challenges which typically arise when implementing new
technology.
Technology
of Today Preparing Hospitals for Health Care of Tomorrow
As the bar for patient safety continues to be raised and
Medicare reimbursement regulations become more strict,
Laughlin believes WRMC's Stage 6 recognition is not just a
testament for being ahead of the curve today, but also an
affirmation that WRMC is prepared to face the future of heath
care.
"With health care facing so many government
reimbursement rules today, and new rules no doubt on the
horizon, how can an organization keep up without electronic
records and documentation?," says Laughlin. "Without
a fully integrated HCIS in place, health care facilities will
not have the capability to run quality reports or submit data
electronically—both of which will be required, most
likely sooner rather than later."
Laughlin also encourages all small, rural health care
organizations to strive to be ahead of the curve in using
technology, so they may be prepared to meet increasingly high
expectations associated with patient safety and quality of
care.
"I am surprised there are only two hospitals under 100
beds which have achieved Stage 6," says Laughlin. "With
the integrated, state-of-the-art technology MEDITECH provides
its customers today, I would imagine many organizations
similar to ours have their own achievement within reach."
For more information on WRMC, read about Jennifer Laughlin's appointment as a Commissioner to the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®).
MEDITECH
Medical
Information Technology, Inc.
MEDITECH Circle
Westwood, MA 02090
781-821-3000
www.meditech.com