Mercy Health – Allen Hospital achieves highest level in electronic medical records (EMR) adoption through its work combatting the opiate epidemic

HIMSS recently recognized Mercy Health – Allen Hospital and six other Mercy Health hospitals and all the organization’s ambulatory sites as Stage 7, as measured by the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM). This eight-stage (0-7) model measures the adoption and utilization of EMR function with hospitals and outpatient settings at Stage 7 operating in a near paperless environment that harnesses technology to support optimized patient care.

While Mercy Health’s ambulatory sites throughout Ohio and Kentucky are in the top 10 percent of all provider practices, Mercy Health – Allen Hospital is part of an elite group of just six percent of all hospitals in the country to achieve Stage 7 on the EMRAM.

“We are honored to receive recognition in our practices as well as at Mercy Health- Allen Hospital for our focus on optimizing elec- tronic health record technology,” said Ed Ruth, President of Mercy Health – Allen Hospital. “Our innovative approach to care supports our commitment to improving the health of our communities through high-quality care and patient safety.”

By harnessing the clinical data available through their electronic health record technology, Mercy Health is working to improve quality of care, patient safety and care delivery efficiency.

HIMSS cited Mercy Health’s efforts in combatting the opiate epidemic as a key example.

For example, Mercy Health is implementing an initiative to reduce overall pain prescriptions given in the emergency rooms by transitioning to other treatment alternatives for pain management. Piloted first at Mercy Health- Springfield Regional Medical Center, within the first 18 months of the initiative, there has already been a reduction in opioid prescriptions by 50%.

HIMSS released a blog post focused on Mercy Health’s efforts; “The Opioid Epidemic: How Organizations like Mercy Health Are Fighting Back” that can be found via http://www.himss.org/news/ opioid-epidemic-how-organizations-mercy-health-are-fightingback

“At Mercy Health, the opiate crisis is a critical focus for us. Across all of our locations in Ohio and Kentucky, our clinical care teams are on the front lines working to combat the opiate crisis and find solutions that will get those with addiction back to healthy living,” said Kelley Recker, vice president, CarePATH, Mercy Health. “By utilizing electronic health records technology and innovation, we saw an opportunity to address the issue at a key entry point for those seeking healthcare: our emergency departments. Leveraging the power of data and information allows us to provide better care, treatment and resources for all patients and their families.”