SPARTANBURG — Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS) has been recognized for further advancing its use of electronic medical records (EMR). HIMSS Analytics announced Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS) has achieved Stage 6 on the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM).
HIMSS Analytics tracks healthcare systems and evaluates their progress of implementing electronic medical records. The progress is defined by completing eight stages (0-7). Hospitals can review the implementation and utilization of information technology programs with the goal of reaching Stage 7, which represents an advanced electronic patient record environment. HIMSS developed the EMR Adoption Model in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress.
“Achieving Stage 6 highlights how Spartanburg Medical Center and Pelham Medical Center have leveraged technology to achieve a high level of patient safety. We have implemented many electronic and automated checks and balances to ensure optimal patient care,” said Harold Moore, SRHS System Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “We reached this point by making a concerted effort, allocating our funding and working closely with our clinical counterparts. This puts us in a great position to achieve even higher levels with the upcoming implementation of EPIC technology in 2016.”
To reach Stage 6, healthcare systems must:
• Have made significant executive commitments and investments to reach this stage.
• Appear to have a significant advantage over competitors for patient safety, clinician support, clinician recruitment, and competitive marketing for both consumers and nurse recruitment.
• Have almost fully automated/paperless medical records when they have implemented their IT applications across most of the inpatient care settings.
• Are either starting to evaluate their data for care delivery process improvements or have already documented significant improvements in this area.
• Have made investments that are within reach of most hospitals and recognize the strategic value of improving patient care with the EMR.
• Have begun to create strategic alignments with their medical staff to effectively utilize information technology to improve the patient safety environment
• Are well positioned to provide data to key stakeholders, such as payers, the government, physicians, consumers, and employers, to support electronic health record environments and health information exchanges.
As of June 2015, 23 percent of the more than 5,400 U.S. hospitals tracked by HIMSS Analytics had reached Stage 6 on its Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM). As of June 2015, there are 1,271 US hospitals that have achieved Stage 6.
Stage 6 hospitals also have achieved a significant advancement in their IT capabilities that positions them to 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.
To prepare for EMR, SRHS hired additional staff to help implement and maintain the system.
About Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS) offers a full spectrum of services through three hospitals: Spartanburg Medical Center, Pelham Medical Center and Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care. SRHS provides unparalleled oncological care through the Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute. The multidisciplinary Medical Group of the Carolinas has more than 300 physicians across seven counties in two states. SRHS employs nearly 6,000 associates and offers outpatient surgery centers, a vibrant post-acute division, a Level I Trauma Center, and Advicare, a licensed Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Advicare provides Medicaid services to residents throughout the state of South Carolina. U.S. News and World Report ranked Spartanburg Medical Center the No. 1 regional hospital in South Carolina. The Commission on Cancer gave Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute its Outstanding Achievement Award. The American Nurses Association lists SRHS among the nation’s top 7 percent of hospitals for excellence in nursing.
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.