FORT WAYNE – Parkview Health has joined an elite class of healthcare providers by earning the highest possible international recognition for its implementation and use of technology.
For the first time, Parkview has earned Stage 7 Validation from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Parkview achieved Stage 7 for the HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM), which is the international assessment for hospitals, and for the HIMSS Outpatient Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (O-EMRAM), the assessment for outpatient facilities.
Stage 7 is the top certification level available through HIMSS and recognizes institutions that have reached the highest possible standards for not only implementation, but also demonstrated, effective use of technology. To reach Stage 7, Parkview had to validate that its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system is optimized to improve patient safety, increase patient satisfaction, support clinicians and secure data.
For the most current version of the EMRAM assessment, Parkview is one of only 67 organizations to reach Stage 7, placing it among the top 20% of health systems globally. Meanwhile, its Stage 7 O-EMRAM rating puts Parkview in a class of only 15% of outpatient facilities to reach that level.
Previously, Parkview had been recognized by HIMSS as a Stage 6 institution, the second-highest rating, since 2014.
“This recognition from HIMSS is validation that Parkview is delivering high-quality care by optimizing technology,” said Ron Double, chief information officer (CIO), Parkview Health. “Stage 7 requires us to not only use world-class systems, but also prove those systems are creating the safety, quality, efficiency and financial outcomes that they are intended for.”
Parkview has received other accolades for its use of technology, including the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives’ Most Wired recognition for nine consecutive years. In May, Double was also recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of “113 hospital and health system CIOs to know.” However, the Stage 7 Validation ranks as his team’s highest achievement to date.
To achieve the Stage 7 rating, Parkview completed a two-day survey with HIMSS Analytics representatives, who interviewed more than 60 providers, leaders and co-workers about the use of technology in their day-to-day work. HIMSS also reviewed Parkview’s technology implementation, processes, security measures and outcome data.
Parkview has utilized Epic as its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system since 2012. Although patients may think of electronic records as just their medical file, Parkview’s EMR encompasses a much wider and broader suite of technology that is interwoven throughout its facilities and daily operations. Epic helps with everything from data collection and monitoring via connected medical devices, to workflow tools that save clinicians time and allow them to focus on care, to programs that can identify potential complications before patients are impacted.
As part of the evaluation, Parkview presented several case studies showing how its EMR is used to improve patient care. One example came from Parkview’s virtual nursing team, which remotely monitors patients with Epic’s sepsis surveillance program. Using a predictive model, Epic alerts the offsite nurses when a patient may be at risk for sepsis. The virtual nurses then evaluate the patient and coordinate necessary interventions with the in-person care team. The program has resulted in earlier detection and intervention for sepsis, creating improved patient outcomes.
Epic has also allowed Parkview to create a single “story of care” for each patient, building one electronic file that can be easily accessed by both the patient and their care team. The data can also be shared with providers outside of Parkview, via Epic and other platforms, to ensure safety and accuracy.
Parkview will be recognized for its achievement at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Fla., in March 2024.