SickKids maintains its EMRAM Stage 7 designation

TORONTO — The Hospital for Sick Children has achieved revalidation of HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7, the highest designation for using an electronic medical record (EMR) to improve patient outcomes and engagement.

The Stage 7 designation from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) means SickKids has fully implemented and effectively leveraged electronic medical records (EMRs) to improve patient care and achieve meaningful outcomes.

This includes demonstrating strong data-driven capabilities, using technology in a meaningful way, and optimizing clinical workflows and patient engagement.

SickKids first achieved this distinguished designation in 2022. SickKids and CHEO are the only healthcare organizations in Canada to achieve Stage 7 for both inpatient and outpatient care, the hospital said.

“At SickKids, we remain steadfast in our commitment to innovation and excellence in paediatric care,” says Dr. Ronni Cohn, president and CEO, SickKids. “Technology is not just an operational tool for us, it is a cornerstone of our strategic vision of Healthier Children. A Better World.”

The evaluation had three main focus areas: governance, clinical and information technology.

The following best practices were highlighted as helping SickKids meet and exceed the benchmarks of a Stage 7 validation:

• The direct alignment of technology investments with specific goals of the SickKids vision and strategy
• Establishment of a Health Information Exchange (HIE) network to enable the secure and efficient exchange of patient data (e.g., medical records, lab results) across different healthcare settings
• Pioneering work in expanding virtual care and adopting intravenous (IV) infusion pump interoperability with the Epic EMR, sophisticated use of data and analytics, which exceeded Stage 7 standards, data and analytics tool use
• Strong clinical partnerships integrating HIMSS maturity models into the yearly technology roadmap, with clinical engagement and education across the organization

“We are grateful to the evaluators for their feedback through the revalidation process, which allows us to reflect on the advances we’ve made in integrating technology into our care delivery, research, and educational frameworks,” said Dr. Sarah Muttitt (pictured), vice president and chief information officer, SickKids. “Further, the process has challenged us to continue elevating our standards, ensuring that SickKids remains on the frontier of paediatric healthcare innovation for years to come.”

HIMSS is a non-profit organization based in Chicago. For six decades, HIMSS has focused on measurably improving patient care with an approach driven by research. HIMSS provides best-practice directives shown to produce better health outcomes.

The HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model certification must be renewed every three years.