HHS reaches Stage 6 of the EMRAM program

HAMILTON, Ont. – Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is being recognized for its exceptional use and integration of its fully digital, state-of-the-art hospital information system – Epic – which is leading to safer, more efficient patient care. HHS recently earned Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) Stage 6 accreditation from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

“The collaboration and adaptability of HHS teams have been crucial in our Epic success story,” said Michelle Leafloor (pictured), vice president, Health Information and Technology Services & chief information officer. “Teams have enthusiastically worked to optimize our use of the system, resulting in improvements like better clinical decision support systems and electronic order sets.”

EMRAM assesses the digital maturity and sophistication of healthcare organizations. To achieve EMRAM Stage 6, a hospital must demonstrate a significant level of integration of an electronic health record (EHR) into its operations.

There are currently only five other EMRAM Stage 6 hospitals in Canada, while six more have achieved Stage 7, the highest level of accreditation. Getting to Stage 6 is a prerequisite of attaining Stage 7 recognition.

“HHS’ successful implementation of Epic in June 2022 and the ongoing efforts to optimize our use organization-wide were key criteria leading to the EMRAM recognition,” said Dr. Rob Lloyd, chief medical information officer at HHS. “We are immensely grateful for everyone’s role in advancing HHS’ digital capabilities and making the care we provide safer and more efficient.”

In particular, HHS was recognized for:

• The exceptional collaboration of clinical and support teams across the hospital in the successful implementation, use, and on-going optimization of Epic.
• The move to a closed loop medication administration system to reduce medication errors. At the bedside, staff scan both the medication and an armband on the patient’s wrist to validate the dose against their prescription, creating a fully closed-loop medicine administration system.
• The involvement of patients in the management of their care journey via the MyChart patient portal, enabled by Epic, and HHS’ virtual care solutions. Both were identified by HIMSS as leading practices.

“This achievement sets a great foundation for HHS to progress to EMRAM stage 7, which will strengthen our position as a national leader in digital care,” said Jennifer Lounsbury, chief nursing information officer at HHS. “We’re confident that, together, we can get there.”

For more information on Epic at HHS, please visit www.hamiltonhealthsciences.ca/patients-visitors/digital-health-care/hospital-information-system/