SANFORD USD Medical Center, Sanford Fargo Medical Center and Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center have earned a “Stage 6” status on

the Healthcare Information and Manage-ment Systems Society (HIMSS) Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model. The honor recognizes Sanford Health’s dedication to implement technology that improves patient safety and care.

Currently, 394 of the more than 5,300 U.S. hospitals tracked by HIMSS Analytics have reached Stage 6 on EMRAM. Stage 7 is the highest level attainable. Sanford Health will continue to work toward a “Stage 7” status, the level at which all patient information will be stored and shared entirely without paper. By operating in a paperless environment, Sanford Health will be able to share patient

data to improve process performance, quality of care and patient safety.

Currently, Sanford Health has more than 2.7 million patients in its master patient index. More than 54,000 Sanford Health patients access their health records electroni-cally and Sanford Health Providers electronically write over 185,000 prescrip-tions per month.

ACCORDING TO HIMSS, “STAGE 6” DESIGNATION INDICATES THAT A HOSPITAL:

v Has made significant executive commitments and investments to reach this stage

v Appear to have a significant advantage over competitors for patient safety, clinician support, clinician recruitment, and competitive marketing for both consumers and nurse recruitment

v Have almost fully automated/paperless medical records when implementing

its information technology applications across most of the inpatient care settings

v Is either starting to evaluate data for care delivery process improvements or has already documented significant improvements in this area

v Has made investments that are within reach of most hospitals and recognizes the strategic value of improving patient care with electronic medical records

v Has begun to create strategic alignments with its medical staff to effectively utilize information technology to improve the patient safety environment and

v Is 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. ■

Sanford Health Nears Top Level in Electronic Medical Record Model

THREE SITES RECOGNIZED AS STAGE 6 IN HIMSS EMR

ADOPTION MODEL

Midwest Medical Edition 8