Saturday, July 10, 2010

First Hospital in Arizona to Achieve Stage 6 Recognition for Electronic Medical Record


Casa Grande, Arizona –Casa Grande Regional Medical Center (CGRMC) is the first hospital in Arizona and the 115th hospital nationwide to achieve the Stage 6 designation of the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Adoption Model. Of the more than 5,000 hospitals tracked by HIMSS Analytics, to date just 2.5 percent of facilities have reached Stage 6 in the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model.

This distinction honors CGRMC's accomplishments in implementing technology solutions that improve patient safety and quality of care. HIMSS Analytics developed the EMR Adoption Model in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database.

Stage 6 hospitals also demonstrate a significant advancement in their IT capabilities. These facilities successfully address many of the current industry transformations, such as meaningful use criteria in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, claims attachments for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, pay for performance, and government quality reporting programs.

Rona Curphy, CGRMC President and CEO, commented, "I am proud of the hard work that Casa Grande Regional has done to achieve this designation. Implementing an effective electronic medical record requires a great deal of team work throughout an organization. This accomplishment demonstrates our dedication to providing the best care for our patients and our community. The highest level of achievement is Stage 7,
which we are already pursuing."

CGRMC implemented its electronic medical record (EMR) in March of 2007 with assistance from Cerner Corporation. Since that time, the hospital has continued to use its EMR as a tool to standardize practices throughout the organization with the ultimate goal of increasing patient safety and quality.

"HIMSS Analytics congratulates Casa Grande Regional Medical Center for leading the way toward health IT adoption," said John Hoyt, FACHE, FHIMSS, Executive Vice President of Organizational Services, for HIMSS. "Stage 6 represents a level of sophistication that only 133 US hospitals have reached to date."

About Casa Grande Regional Medical Center: Casa Grande Regional Medical Center is a 187-bed, not-for-profit community hospital providing full-service care to Casa Grande and the communities of western Pinal County. CGRMC also provides a full range of outpatient services, including Urgent Care coverage seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and a 24-hour Emergency Department. CGRMC is a partner in healthcare, providing education and resources to the community. For more information, visit casagrandehospital.com 

About HIMSS Analytics: HIMSS Analytics is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The company collects and analyzes healthcare data related to IT processes and environments, products, IS department composition and costs, IS department management metrics, healthcare trends and purchase-related decisions. HIMSS Analytics delivers high quality data and analytical expertise to healthcare delivery organizations, healthcare IT companies, state governments, financial companies, pharmaceutical companies, and consulting firms. Visit www.himssanalytics.org/ for more information.

Photo Caption: Heidi Gailey, Pharmacist