On Monday, January 13, 2014, North Country Hospital was presented a $5,000 award from Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL) for the hospital Emergency Department’s participation in the VITLAccess Pilot Program. VITLAccess is a secure website that authorized health care providers and their staffs can use to search for and view information about their patients to improve the quality and efficiency of care. Information is available through the statewide Vermont Health Information Exchange (HIE), which is managed by VITL.
Robert Gibson, VP Marketing & Business Development for VITL, presents a
$5,000 check to North Country Hospital President & CEO, Claudio Fort Seated
with them is Dr. Kate McIntosh, VITL's Medical Director. ‘Other project team
members standing L to R include Christine Sweeny, eHealth Specialist for
VITL, and North Country's Sharon Mallett, RN, Emergency Room Nurse Manager,
Paul Newton, MD, Emergency Room ‘Physician, Kate Pierce, Director, Clinical
Informatics and Chris Fortin, Director Patient Financial Services.
Most Vermont hospitals and a growing number of physician offices are contributing data to the Vermont HIE. Clinicians who receive patient consent to view data through the HIE can have more complete information to use when making diagnoses and treatment plans. By using VITLAccess, physicians and other health care providers can access information on care and treatment that their patients received from other hospitals, physicians, and ancillary health care providers.’
According to Dr. Paul Newton, one of the North Country Hospital Emergency Department physicians who participated in the pilot: ‘Access to medication lists increases patient safety. Viewing the results of previous tests and procedures can help speed up treatment and reduce the need to repeat tests.’ VITLAccess provides an easy and efficient way for me to see patients’ medical information from throughout the state of Vermont, which provides me as well as my colleagues important information that patients may not be able to provide when arriving at the emergency room.’
By agreeing to serve as a pilot site for VITLAccess, the clinicians at North Country Hospital helped provide valuable feedback to the VITL’s project staff on how they can make this program more useful for clinicians.’
According to Dr. Kate McIntosh, VITL’s medical director: ‘VITLAccess will provide treating physicians with instant access to the patient’s most current medical information which, in an emergency setting, when time is critical can be lifesaving. The staff at the North Country Emergency Department showed how this data can be used in an Emergency Room setting and how VITLAccess was efficiently incorporated into their workflow.’
VITLAccess is expected to roll out statewide beginning in the spring of 2014.
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About VITL
Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. (VITL) is a non-profit organization that manages Vermont’s health information exchange (HIE) and assists health care providers statewide with the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) systems and other health information technology. The Vermont HIE connects EHR systems from the state’s hospitals, providers, independent practices, and other health care organizations in order to securely and effectively exchange patients’ clinical data to improve the quality of care delivery as well as to enhance patient safety and outcomes. For more information, please visit www.vitl.net.
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North Country Hospital recognized by Vermont Information Technology Leaders
Submitted by tim
on