MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) has recognized 12 WVU Medicine hospitals and more than 500 clinics for their adoption of electronic medical records (EMR). 

The HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) measures clinical outcomes, patient engagement, and clinician use of EMR technology to strengthen organizational performance and health outcomes across patient populations. The internationally applicable EMRAM incorporates methodology and algorithms to score a whole hospital, including inpatient, outpatient, and day care services provided on the hospital campus. EMRAM scores hospitals around the world relative to their digital maturity, providing a detailed road map to ease adoption and begin a digital transformation journey towards aspirational outcomes. 

Measuring evidence-based data at each stage, organizations use EMRAM to optimize digital work environments, improve performance and financial sustainability, build a sustainable workforce, and support an exceptional patient experience. Leveraging information digitally improves patient safety and clinician satisfaction by reducing errors in care, length of stay for patients and duplicated care orders, and streamlining the access and use of data to inform care delivery.

Twelve WVU Medicine hospitals have received Stage 7 validation – the highest possible – from HIMSS. They include:

• Berkeley Medical Center
• Braxton County Memorial Hospital
• Camden Clark Medical Center
• Jackson General Hospital 
• J.W Ruby Memorial Hospital
• Potomac Valley Hospital
• Reynolds Memorial Hospital
• St. Joseph’s Hospital
• Summersville Regional Medical Center
• Uniontown Hospital
• United Hospital Center
• Wetzel County Hospital

“HIMSS Stage 7 doesn’t just benchmark whether you have the capability, it benchmarks your actual utilization of the technology to improve safety. There are around 270 hospitals in the country that have reached a HIMSS Stage 7. When you look at what we’re doing as an organization compared to our peers, 12 out of 270 is a pretty high percentage for a health system with 17 member hospitals,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System, said. “Our leadership team is committed to making sure not only do we have the technology, but we’re utilizing it to make sure we’re taking great care of patients.”

The HIMSS Outpatient Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (O-EMRAM) is used to assess EMR implementation for outpatient facilities of hospitals and health systems globally, guiding the data-driven advancement of facilities through EMR technology.

With the O-EMRAM, hospitals and health systems optimize the continuation of care for patients and populations outside the walls of the acute care setting and ensure all care documentation is available online to the clinical team when and where they need it. Organizations can leverage the O-EMRAM to improve the person-enabled health and governance and workforce dimensions of digital health in the outpatient setting.

More than 500 WVU Medicine outpatient clinics in West Virginia and Pennsylvania achieved Stage 7 validation from HIMSS. 

“This is a tremendous validation of our commitment to deploying EHR functionality that enables our care teams to provide the best care for our patients,” David Rich, M.D., WVU Medicine chief medical information officer, said.

For more information on WVU Medicine, visit WVUMedicine.org.