The RCH today became the first hospital in Australia – and only the second in the Asia Pacific region – to receive two stage six ratings from the international Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) for its Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
The RCH, which launched its EMR in April 2016, received a stage six HIMSS rating for its EMR in both inpatient and outpatient areas, setting a new benchmark for healthcare services in Australia.
HIMSS scores hospitals world-wide on their ability to use technology – particularly EMRs – to improve the delivery of patient care.
The RCH’s Chief Executive Officer Professor Christine Kilpatrick said the hospital was very proud to be the first public hospital in Australia to receive international recognition for its effective use of technology to deliver high quality patient care.
“Achieving a stage six rating was a testament to the hospital’s clear EMR vision and its commitment to excellence, particularly in the delivery of world-class health care for children and young people,” said Christine.
“We are excited to see where this technology will take us in the future and how we can use it to further benefit our patients and families, as well as the broader community.”
To achieve a stage six rating – the second highest HIMSS rating – hospitals must demonstrate how they have used their EMR to improve clinical documentation, clinical decision support and medication administration. There were no stage seven hospitals in Australia.
The hospital’s Chief Medical Information Officer Professor Mike South said it was a remarkable achievement for the RCH, just 10 months after the EMR was launched.
“The EMR has had an immediate impact on the way clinical care was delivered at the RCH,” said Professor South.
“There were clear benefits for clinicians from day one in terms of the speed and ease with which they can access patient information through the EMR.
“We’ve also continued to make significant improvements to the system and our work practice to ensure we are getting maximum benefit from the technology for our patients, particularly in relation to medication management.”
The RCH EMR was a $48 million project funded by the State Government ($23.9 million), the RCH and the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation ($24.2 million).
The RCH was the first Australian hospital to implement a fully comprehensive EMR, in partnership with US-based firm Epic, which allows GPs and outside paediatricians to logon to the record and includes a portal, ‘My RCH Portal’, for families and patients to access their own medical record.
The EMR replaced paper-based medical records at the RCH. The new system went live just after midnight on Saturday, 30 April, 2016.