NGMC earns recognition for electronic medical records system

GAINESVILLE - Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) recently achieved Stage 6 designation of the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics Hospital Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Adoption Model. This distinction honors NGMC's accomplishments to implement technology solutions to improve patient safety and quality of care.

NGMC is one of 487 hospitals in the United States and 12 in Georgia to earn this designation.

"We are honored to be a part of such an elite group receiving this designation," says Brad Nurkin, President of NGMC. "It is a testament to the commitment and dedication of our entire organization to effectively leverage the latest advances in information technology for the benefit of our patients."

HIMSS Analytics developed the EMR Adoption Model in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics Database. By tracking their progress through the stages (0-7), hospitals can benchmark their implementation and utilization of information technology applications with the intent of reaching Stage 7, which represents the most advanced electronic patient record environment.

To achieve the Stage 6 designation, NGMC implemented all major components of the electronic medical records In order to reach Stage 7, utilization of CPOE and physician documentation will need to be at least 90 percent, creating a near-paperless environment.

"By adopting this model, we are working to eliminate challenges in patient care such as taking critical time away from the physicians as they locate and retrieve patient data via different infrastructures, allowing them to treat the patient both more quickly and more effectively," says Jim Bailey, PhD, MD, Northeast Georgia Health Systems' (NGHS) Chief Medical Informatics Officer and Chief Quality Officer.