Vidant Medical Group practices achieve HIMSS Stage 6 Designation | Eastern North Carolina Now

    GREENVILLE- Earlier this year, all Vidant Medical Group physician practices and clinics received Stage 6 designation of the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model. This designation honors the organization's accomplishments to implement technology solutions that have the ability to improve patient safety and quality of care. All Vidant Health hospitals achieved this designation in 2014 and, after an annual evaluation last week, received word that they will maintain the Level 6 designation for another year.

    Vidant Medical Group is among only 14% of providers across the country that have achieved HIMSS EMR stage 6 designation or greater.

    HIMSS Analytics provides the highest quality data and analytical expertise to support improved decision making for the healthcare industry. HIMSS provides the right insight to tap robust, data-driven solutions to help address and optimize IT strategies and implementation.

    "Vidant Health now has the ability to share information electronically through integrated health care IT solutions," said Donette Herring, chief information officer, Vidant Health. "This allows us to take better care of our patients with less opportunity for mistakes or errors. It also provides much improved communications between providers so that patients have quicker test results."

    The EMR Adoption Model was developed in 2005 as a method for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals and ambulatory settings in the HIMSS Analytics Database. There are eight stages of completion (0-7), and hospitals/physician practices can track their implementation progress and utilization of information technology applications with the intent of reaching Stage 7.

    "Now that we have all of our Vidant Health hospitals and Vidant Medical Group physician practices and clinics designated as Stage 6, we are already in process of evaluating steps to get to Stage 7," Herring said. "We are proud of this designation, and we will keep focusing on initiatives that will improve the technology we use to provide safe, quality care to our patients."

    For more information about the HIMSS stages of completion, please visit www.himssalaytics.org.

    Vidant Health, a mission-driven, not-for-profit corporation, owns, leases or has a majority membership interest in eight eastern North Carolina hospitals. The health system includes Vidant Beaufort Hospital, Vidant Bertie Hospital, Vidant Chowan Hospital, Vidant Duplin Hospital, Vidant Edgecombe Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital, Vidant Medical Center, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Vidant Home Health and Hospice,Vidant Wellness Centers, Vidant Medical Group and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.vidanthealth.com