NMC in St Albans to implement integrated electronic medical record

A fully-integrated electronic medical record and enterprise-wide computer system will be installed at Northwestern Medical Center following approval of the hospital’s application for a Certificate of Need (CON). Paulette Thabault, the Commissioner of the Banking, Insurance, Securities, and Health Care Administration, approved the application on December 17 following a unanimous vote to recommend NMC’s project by the Public Oversight Commission on December 2.
“With an integrated clinical record, information can be shared by all who are involved in the care of a patient, at any time and in any location,” said Sandy Robinson, NMC’s Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Clinical Services. “We can ‘build in’ our standards of care and improve our ability to provide exceptional care for our patients.”
After an intense fourteen-month selection process, NMC selected Meditech as the vendor of choice. The new system will provide an electronic medical record fully integrated with clinical, administrative, and financial systems hospital-wide. “Careful attention was paid to both the clinical workflow and the technical capabilities of the potential systems,” said Kelly Barland, NMC’s Chief Information Officer. “Integrated systems such as this are the future of healthcare technology and this investment positions us to continue to provide the finest care for our community.”
Meditech is a national leader in providing health information systems (HIS) for hospitals NMC’s size. “Meditech is the most frequently considered vendor in the community hospital space and commands the leading market share,” says independent research firm, KLAS, in an August 2009 report. “Meditech is perceived as the comprehensive, integrated, low-cost HIS solution.”
NMC’s project was approved by the Commissioner at a total project cost of $4,953,090. NMC expects that it will qualify for up to $577,000 in Federal Stimulus dollars as a result of implementing the system and meeting the Federal guidelines for the “meaningful use” of an electronic medical record.
The Meditech system will be implemented in phases, beginning in January of 2010 and carrying through 2012. “Our process has been carefully planned to give staff input into the design and implementation of the system, to allow for proper training on its use, and to ensure a smooth transition from our existing environment to Meditech,” said Barland.
Source: NMC. 12.22.2009