RICHMOND HILL, Ont. – Mackenzie Health has been recognized by HIMSS Analytics for achieving Stage 6 on the HIMSS Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Adoption Model (EMRAM). Mackenzie Health is the first Canadian hospital with a full-suite Epic EMR and one of four Ontario community hospitals to have achieved this designation to date.

While approximately 32 percent of hospitals have received Stage 6 designation in the United States of America, only 1 percent of Canadian hospitals have achieved this level of functionality in their EMR (Q2 2017 data).

“We are extremely proud of our entire team’s pioneering efforts to be the first Canadian hospital with a full-suite Epic EMR to reach EMRAM Stage 6,” said Richard Tam (pictured), executive vice president and chief administrative officer, Mackenzie Health. “This designation is a testament to Mackenzie Health’s commitment to creating a world-class health experience and sets a new standard for how care is delivered in our community and at the health system level.”

The Stage 6 designation recognizes Mackenzie Health’s leadership in being the first hospital in Canada to implement the Epic End-to-End EMR. The state-of-the-art clinical information system provides an integrated medical record that makes it possible for the care team to spend more time with patients, provide physicians with exactly what they need to make important healthcare decisions quicker and empower patients with easy access to their health records.

“This important designation reflects our entire organization’s mission to relentlessly improve care to create healthier communities and our commitment to the highest level of patient safety in our electronic medical record adoption,” said Diane Salois-Swallow, chief information officer, Mackenzie Health. “Through focused, strategic leadership and sustained efforts from our team, Mackenzie Health took a step forward to help deliver excellent quality care to every patient, every time through state-of-the-art technology systems.”

The implementation was one of the largest transformational projects in Mackenzie Health’s history. Prior to its Stage 6 designation, Mackenzie Health was at Stage 3.

HIMSS states that its “Stage 6” designation indicates that a hospital:

• Has made significant executive commitments and investments to reach this stage
• Fully automated medical records implemented across all inpatient and outpatient care settings
• Is starting to evaluate data for care delivery process improvements and documenting significant improvements in this area
• Has begun to create strategic alignments with medical staff to effectively utilize information technology to improve the patient safety environment
• Is well positioned to provide data to key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, physicians and patients, to support electronic health record environments and health information exchanges

“HIMSS Analytics congratulates Mackenzie Health for making significant progress towards achieving advanced health IT adoption. Stage 6 represents a level of sophistication that can lead to innovative healthcare transformation,” said John H. Daniels, global vice president, HIMSS Analytics.

About Mackenzie Health

Mackenzie Health is a dynamic regional healthcare provider which includes the existing Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, as well as a comprehensive network of community-based services. The ground-breaking for the new Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital was held on October 25, 2016. In March 2017, the organization received its second consecutive award of Accreditation with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada for its commitment to safety and quality patient care. This is the highest rating a Canadian healthcare provider can receive. Guided by a vision to create a world-class health experience, Mackenzie Health has an unrelenting focus on the patient and is dedicated to patient needs now and in the future. With over 500,000 residents in Southwest York Region, Mackenzie Health is proud to serve one of the fastest growing and most diverse communities in Canada. For more information, please visit www.mackenziehealth.ca.

About HIMSS Analytics

HIMSS Analytics is a global healthcare advisor, providing guidance and market intelligence solutions that move the industry forward with insight to enable better health through the use of IT. As a trusted healthcare research and advisory firm, the industry depends on HIMSS Analytics’ resources, benchmarks, predictive models and assessment tools to improve decision making regarding their IT strategic roadmap and market strategy. HIMSS Analytics is uniquely positioned and differentiated through its industry focused offerings which include its Healthcare IT market intelligence tool, Healthcare IT insights and Healthcare IT benchmarks and services. The LOGIC market intelligence tool has the largest technology data set with unmatched breadth and depth needed for guiding healthcare IT strategies. HIMSS Analytics research and advisory consultants uncover unique insights on how to optimally use IT to tackle today’s healthcare challenges faced by both healthcare delivery organizations and IT companies. Its EMR Adoption Model (EMRAM) provides a strategic roadmap and guidance along an 8-stage model with comparisons to healthcare organizations in the same country and around the world.