Proud of a Wonderful Accomplishment

Last week, I went to Verona, Wisconsin, for the annual Epic Users Group Meeting. Healthcare companies that have installed Epic from all over the country gather to hear what is new and to share information about how to use the software to improve care.

I took a bus, with others, from the hotel to the Epic campus and walked into the building outside the large theater where the opening address from the CEO of Epic, Judy Faulkner, was about to begin. I was delighted that the first thing I saw upon entering the building was a banner announcing our achievement of HIMMS Analytics Stage 7. I can’t tell you how proud I was to see that banner. Being the first healthcare company in the state to achieve Stage 7, the highest stage, on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) for both our hospital care and ambulatory services shouldn’t be taken lightly. HIMSS Analytics developed the EMR Adoption Model as a tool to benchmark information technology maturity in healthcare organizations. Less than five percent of hospitals in the United States have achieved Stage 7 certification.

The award is recognition for operating in a paperless environment and representing best practices in implementing electronic health records. Make no mistake this accomplishment is due to the commitment and the hard work of the GBMC staff which includes our highly-skilled team of physicians, nurses, other clinicians and IT professionals. Our achievement was not without its challenges but the resiliency of our people in working through glitches has been impressive. Within our hospital, our physician company, and Gilchrist we have now achieved ‘one patient, one record’ and we continue to work with our private practicing physicians, nursing homes and other providers to connect with them through the Chesapeake Regional Information Sharing for Our Patients (CRISP) network. Without this, we cannot achieve our vision of being the community-based health system where every patient gets the care that we would want for our own loved ones.

Earlier this week, here at home, we celebrated our one-year anniversary of being live with Epic during EPIC 2017: CELEBRATE THE EPIC ADVENTURE. This star-studded, fun-filled event gave us a peek into the future of our clinical and administrative information system. As part of our continuous improvement efforts to ensure we have the most current technology infrastructure, next week we will upgrade to Epic 2017. This upgrade will include enhancements to the overall look and feel of Epic, have simpler and more consistent icons, and improved wayfinding for navigating the system. New functionality will also be available to optimize workflows and assist with improving end-user efficiency. There are many projects underway which will further leverage Epic’s functionality such as electronic prescribing of controlled substances and electronic pre authorizations. MyChart continues to grow with added features and functionality. Later this month, we will begin releasing ambulatory history and physical notes to MyChart and eventually progress notes. These initiatives will continue the push for empowering our patients with their information and encourage participation with their care.

Two years later…
You know, it’s been two years since our 50th Anniversary Gala. I can’t believe how time has flown by. Our 50th Anniversary celebrations were a wonderful recognition of GBMC’s rich history and its bright future. The community’s philanthropic support during the anniversary year was phenomenal and has aided our ability to continue with our transformation by supporting our patient-centered medical homes and tools like Epic.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness month 
The sharing of electronic information in all aspects of care delivery is important but is not without its risks. Through the Internet, health systems and other industries are under attack from criminals who look to profit from stealing information that should be private. You’ve probably all seen the headlines regarding the Equifax breach which impacted over 100 million people. It has been proven that the highest vulnerability for data breaches is not with the software itself but is through us, the users. Criminals know this and set out to trick us into opening our systems to them so that they can do their dirty work. We must all be vigilant and own the security of our information systems. Please bring the same questioning attitude that you use when delivering patient care to your use of e-mail, the electronic record, and other applications. Don’t click links unless you are sure it’s safe, don’t go to websites you aren’t familiar with and ask IT for guidance if something doesn’t quite “seem right”. Together, using simple internet safety precautions, we can help keep GBMC safer from cybercrime. I want to thank Dave Hynson, GBMC’s Chief Information Officer, and his team for all their hard work in addressing the issues and keeping us on normal operations. Also, don’t forget to look for our IT Security team’s educational materials and tips throughout the month and throughout the year.