PHRs: GRH to implement electronic health record system by 2014

For the past few years, the Grande Ronde Hospital and its six hospital-owned clinics have been going “paper thin” as they train their physicians to generate electronic medical records for each patient encounter. However, by October 2014, all hospitals and clinics in the U.S. will be required to implement meaningful use of the electronic personal health record system in compliance with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

The act was signed into law on Feb. 17, 2009, and is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements and incentives for hospitals and professionals to adopt an Electronic Health Record system amount to about $17 billion of the $19.2 billion act.

With these incentive mechanisms, it is estimated that the adoption rates of the system will rise to 90 percent by 2019 and will result in more than $60 billion in net savings over the next five years for the U.S. healthcare system.

Parhez Sattar, GRH manager of the Information Technology department and the hospital’s information security officer, along with Sarah Hall, GRH manager of the Health Information Management department and the hospital’s privacy officer, have collaborated in recent years to convert the hospital’s paper-based system into electronic medical records. Only 10 percent of all U.S. hospitals have currently advanced to this level of information technology.

Now, however, the Grande Ronde Hospital will take information technology to the next level by integrating individual patient health records into a nationwide web-based system.

“The Grande Ronde Hospital is going toward an Electronic Health Record (system) in about two years,” said Sattar. “We’re going to start working on a personal health record website, and we’ll be starting the foundation for that in about two months.”

The purpose of the health information technology act is multi-faceted, but its stated intent is to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of patient healthcare while lowering costs.

“The Electronic Personal Health Record (E - PHR) system doesn’t necessarily save time,” said Sattar, “because physicians will have a lot more data to type into the system, but it’s more efficient and the government is requiring more information on costs and quality.”

Not surprising when one considers that 60 percent of the patients treated at the Grande Ronde Hospital are Medicare and Medicaid patients. “So we have to comply,” he said.

To comply with the act and qualify for incentives, hospitals have to purchase “certified” Electronic Health Record software and show meaningful use adoption of this system in gradual increments of time. There are several graduated stages for implementing “meaningful use” and meeting prescribed objectives. The Grande Ronde Hospital will start its compliance reporting Jan. 1.

The system is an expansive, interoperable healthcare web structure that is secure. It will connect physicians and clinicians with their patients, referring doctors, medical assistants, pharmacies, labs, other healthcare organizations and     insurers.