Augusta Health recognized for achievement in electronic medical records

Augusta Health has been recognized by the Healthcare Information Systems Society for a notable achievement—reaching the seventh of eight stages to complete implementation of an electronic medical record.

“This is a significant achievement because, as of the end of 2010, only 3.2 percent of hospitals in the United States have achieved this level. That translates to only 169 of the 5291 hospitals have come this far in the implementation process,” said Bruce Hall, chief information officer at Augusta Health. “The achievement acknowledges great teamwork and countless hours put in by the staff to meet milestones and deadlines.”

Stage 6 implementation (the first stage is called Stage 0) means many important pieces of the EMR are in place and in use. These include documentation for nurses and physicians, medication administration and computerized physician order entry. Implementation and meaningful use of the EMR are required by the federal government.

“Augusta Health is well on the way to completing the goal of meaningful use of an EMR, which is a great thing for our patients and the quality of our care,” added Hall.