Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County
Company: Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, Rock Springs, WY USA
Entry Submitted By: Schwartz Communications
Company Description: Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County (MHSC) is a 99-bed rural county hospital in that recently joined a select group of U.S. hospitals that have implemented an e-health records system for better patient care. This initiative led by CEO Linda Simmons, who with a limited budget, successfully achieved the adoption of digital records for their patients.
Nomination Category: Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Executive - Non-Profit or Government - Up to 2,500 Employees
Nomination Title: Linda Simmons, interim chief executive officer
Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominated executive during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):
Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County (MHSC) is a 99-bed hospital owned by the
county in rural Rock Springs, Wyoming. In March 2008, Linda Simmons led Memorial
Hospital in joining a select group of U.S. hospitals that have implemented an
electronic health record system (EHR). The legacy paper patient record system
cost the hospital and clinicians an excess of time and money in maintaining a
high level of care. To the non-profit hospital with limited funding, it was
clear that an EHR system was critical for future success in maintaining
high-quality care for MHSC patients.
Under Simmons’ leadership, Memorial Hospital selected Medsphere’s OpenVista EHR
system from a sea of vendors after carefully considering EHR systems that
prioritized ease of use among physicians and providers. Hospital executives
carefully reviewed the clinical benefits of open source technology, which allows
clinicians to build EHR templates for patient care. The templates are a series
of safety checks to ensure that clinicians give their patients, depending on
their medical state and treatment diagnoses, the best of care. Another factor in
MHSC’s decision making was cost. The open source technology of OpenVista cost
the facility $2 million, which includes implementation, support, and upgrades to
the EHR system as needed. For the $2 million price tag, Memorial Hospital also
received both computerized physician order entry (CPOE)and bar code medication
administration.(BCMA), along with integrated support for radiology and lab
systems at a significant cost savings compared with other proprietary solutions.
Following a deployment period of 1.5 years under Simmons’ direction, Memorial
Hospital became the first hospital in Wyoming to have a fully implemented,
integrated, electronic health records system, including CPOE and BCMA. After
much planning and discussion, Memorial Hospital made the decision to go live in
one day instead of rolling out the technology in partial components. The
OpenVista EHR was implemented across the facility, with BCMA adopted the
following day.
Since the full roll out of the hospital’s new EHR system, there have been
numerous benefits, including clinical, operational, administrative and
compliance improvements. With EHRs, medical records now follow the patients as
they move throughout the hospital departments and staff can quickly and securely
access the patient records. These medical records are continually updated with
every patient visit. MHSC improved clinical care dramatically following the
implementation of OpenVista. Medication safety is a high priority for healthcare
settings, and the omission of medications, the number one reason for medication
errors at Memorial Hospital, decreased to a minimal 1-2 per quarter following
the implementation of their EHR system. MHSC’s compliance with patient safety
and regulatory standards have improved as well, with measurements and clinical
information integrated directly into charting templates and queried for data
collection.
In light of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in which U.S. hospitals
are eligible for federal stimulus funding for the adoption of electronic health
records, Memorial Hospital Hospital’s investment in OpenVista led by Simmons’
leadership was forward thinking and timely.
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
• The MHSC press release with details of the implementation of Medsphere’s
OpenVista at their facilities, along with CPOE and BCMA:
http://www.medsphere.com/news/286-medsphere-openvista-anchors-organizational-transformation-at-wyoming-regional-healthcare-facility
• MHSC’s Journey to EMR, as featured in Health Management Technology:
http://www.healthmgttech.com/index.php/solutions/electronic-medical-records/lessons-learned-from-a-journey-to-emr.html
• An article about open source EHR technology including MHSC’s use of OpenVista
in Healthcare Informatics:
http://www.medsphere.com/news/medsphere-in-the-news/163-a-glass-slipper
Provide a brief biography of the nominated executive (up to 100 words):
Linda Simmons is the interim chief executive officer at Memorial Hospital
Sweetwater County in Wyoming. Simmons oversees strategic growth, day-to-day
operations, and physician relations of the facility. She has over 33 years of
experience in the healthcare field, previously developed the open-heart surgery
program, the implementation of a hospital-wide electronic health record, and the
start-up of a hospital.
Simmons obtained her undergraduate degree in nursing from Messiah College, a
Masters in Nursing degree from Baylor University and a Masters in Business
Administration from the University of Mary. She is a Fellow in the American
College of Healthcare Executives.