Reaching HIMSS Stage 7
Getting to Stage 7 of the HIMSS EMRAM (EMR Adoption Model) isn’t easy. As of now, only 329 locations have attained the status (view the HIMSS website here for a searchable list of current Stage 7 providers). This is, of course, out of the thousands of providers spread across the country. Reaching HIMSS Stage 7 requires a sophisticated technology environment that completely eliminates paper charts and allows for advanced data–sharing capabilities.
To become certified as a Stage 7 provider, hospitals must specifically:
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Not use paper charts to deliver and manage patient care, with data electronically entered within 24 hours
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Use data warehousing insights to improve care, safety, and efficiency
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Be able to electronically share clinical information with anyone authorized to treat a patient
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Produce summary data that has continuity across all hospital services
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Have EHR documentation and order entry of at least 90%
How it Changes an Organization
Stage 7 adoption comes with marked benefits. A study by KLAS Research published in February showed that reaching Stage 7 significantly changed the distribution of physician satisfaction levels.
(Source: KLAS Research)
While this, and many other metrics (quality care, functionality, integration) increased, it’s important to note that reaching Stage 7 isn’t a panacea, and that benchmarks associated with efficiency, reporting, patient-centered care, and learning to use the EHR didn’t show significant changes.
Roadblocks to Stage 7
Organizational buy-in is crucial to getting an initiative like this to be successful. It’s important for staff to understand that this process isn’t just about getting a designation. Reaching EMRAM Stage 7 is about an organization best using the EHR tools they have available to them to improve patient care.
Entering data into an electronic medical record within 24 hours may seem like a reasonable task, but starts to get complicated when you include both the information created within a hospital and also the myriad external documents that flow in daily.
How We Help
Extract has worked with a number of companies to reduce both a reliance on paper and solve the data delay conundrum keeping healthcare systems from being Stage 7 certified. Hurley Medical Center, for example, was able to take documents that needed 48 hours or more to populate into the EMR and bring that time to under two hours.
Our software reads documents like a human would, only faster. We use machine learning and AI to continuously enhance our capture rates to get your data where you need it, when you need it, accurately.
If you’d like to see our software in action, or have any questions about how we can help you get over your HIMSS Stage 7 hurdle, please reach out today.
