HIMSS Analytics Europe today announced that a select number of European hospitals will be awarded Stage 6 & 7 EMRAM awards at the upcoming HIMSS Europe Health IT Leadership Summit in Rome. The award is given to hospitals that have achieved the highest scores on the EMR Adoption Model (EMRAM). This is the first time European hospitals are awarded the prestigious award which honor hospitals that operate in a paperless environment and represent best practices in implementation of the EMR. The awards unveiling will take place at the HIMSS Europe Health IT Leadership Summit in Rome, during an awards ceremony on September 30, at 18.00.

The European adoption model is based on HIMSS Analytics US EMR Adoption Model which was developed in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database. Tracking their progress in completing eight stages (0-7), hospitals can review the implementation and utilization of information technology applications with the intent of reaching Stage 7, which represents an advanced patient record environment.

Stage 7 hospitals:

• Deliver patient care without the use of paper charts
• Are able to share patient information by sending secure standardized summary record transactions to other care providers
• Use their vast database of clinical information to drive improved care delivery performance, patient safety clinical decision support, and outcomes using business intelligence solutions
• Are best practice examples of how to implement sophisticated EMR environments that fully engage their clinicians

Stage 6 hospitals:

• Have made significant executive commitments and investments to reach this stage.
• Appear to have a significant advantage over competitors for patient safety, clinician support, clinician recruitment, and competitive marketing for both consumers and nurse recruitment.
• Have almost fully automated/paperless medical records when they have implemented their IT applications across most of the inpatient care settings.
• Are either starting to evaluate their data for care delivery process improvements or have already documented significant improvements in this area.
• Have made investments that are within reach of most hospitals and recognize the strategic value of improving patient care with the EMR.
• Have begun to create strategic alignments with their medical staff to effectively utilize information technology to improve the patient safety environment
• Are well positioned to provide data to key stakeholders, such as payers, the government, physicians, consumers, and employers, to support electronic health record environments and health information exchanges.

The HIMSS Europe Health IT Leadership Summit, is a new, Pan-European executive level forum for education, collaboration and dialogue. Top leaders from healthcare, IT and government will convene to help advance the quality of healthcare delivery. The event will feature conference and education sessions as well as focus groups designed to foster intensive knowledge exchange and networking opportunities at the most senior level.

Source    :    http://emrdailynews.com/2010/09/22/himss-analytics-europe-announces-european-hospitals-emr-adoption-model-emram-awards/