December 16, 2014
Marshall Medical Centers is in the top 17 percent of national hospitals when it comes to using the latest technology in keeping electronic medical records. MMC was just awarded Stage 6 Recognition, which ranks it as one of the 930 U.S. hospitals reaching this level of information technology and one of only two in Alabama. This is good news for residents of Marshall County who can know that when they go to their county-owned hospital for care, their records are being maintained and safeguarded by the latest technology. “Marshall Medical Centers is committed to utilizing information technology to the fullest to ensure patient safety and achieve efficiencies,” said Kim Bunch, Marshall Medical’s Director of Information Technology. “I am very proud of the hard work and dedication of Marshall’s team and that they are committed to improve the overall patient experience and ensure patient safety. Accomplishments like this really set us apart in that Marshall has achieved what few hospitals have done nationwide.” Bunch said Marshall Medical’s two hospitals had many requirements already in place to ensure patient safety and efficiency, and staff worked hard over the past 12 months to implement the rest. “That’s what pushed us up from Stage 5 to 6,” Bunch said. “IT focused on the latest advances to ensure patient safety and the best clinical outcomes.” Hospital staff converted patient medical records from paper to electronic data. Physician order entries and physician documentation are now electronic. Verifying that all medications given are the correct ones is done at the patient’s bedside and requires medicines to be scanned, along with the patient and the orders. Records also confirm that patients take the correct meds at home. “The outcome is that it improves patient safety,” said Bunch. “All the patient information from either facility is in electronic form and available at either hospital site. It can be obtained from any source with Marshall Medical Centers.” HIMSS Analytics tracks more than 5,400 U.S. hospitals in electronic medical record adoption. There are eight stages for hospitals to climb as they build the technology necessary. Stage 7 represents an advanced electronic patient record environment. “HIMSS Analytics congratulates Marshall Medical Centers for leading the way toward health IT adoption,” said John Hoyt, executive vice president of HIMSS Analytics. “Stage 6 represents a level of sophistication that only 930 U.S. hospitals have reached to date.”