July 20, 2007

The Region’s One and Only...

Genesis among nation’s 100 Most Wired for 2007

DAVENPORT, IOWA - Genesis is the only health system in the Quad Cities region to earn recognition this year as one of the nation’s 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems.

Also, for the second straight year, the Genesis, DeWitt campus has landed on the list of 25 Most Wired small and rural hospitals.

It’s the fourth straight year Genesis Health System has been recognized nationally for its use of technology to achieve high standards of patient safety and quality of care. In fact, the Genesis awards were two of only four from Iowa.

Both honors signal Genesis’ dedication to health care technology and an awareness of the power of the electronic medical record to improve quality.

“Our Most Wired listing for the fourth straight year is national recognition of our use of technology to improve the care and safety of our patients,’’ said Rob Frieden, Genesis Vice President of Information Services. “At Genesis, we recognize the important link between the use of information technology and patient safety and quality of care.’’

The 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems were named by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine for their use of information technology to accomplish safety and quality objectives. Hospitals on the list showed better outcomes in four key areas: mortality rates, patient safety measures from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, core measures from Hospital Compare and average length of stay.

“Many hospitals have made strong commitments to using information technology to improve the quality of care,’’ said Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the AHA. “They are combining technology with clinical knowledge and creativity with a focus on improving outcomes, and making care safer and more streamlined for both patients and clinicians.’’

Genesis has traditionally been willing to invest in new technology if there are measurable benefits to patient care, Frieden said. He cited several technology innovations that Genesis has initiated or expanded since being recognized as a Most Wired health system last year:

• Bedside Medical Device Interface – This allows nurses to enter vital medical information, blood pressure readings for example, directly into electronic medical records. The technology saves time for nurses and reduces the chance of input errors.
• Expanded use of Computerized Physician Order Entry, or CPOE – The system enables a physician to enter orders into the computer – rather than on paper – at the patient’s bedside. At Genesis, about 80 percent of physician orders in emergency departments are entered via the computer. The system has been proven to reduce errors related to handwriting or transcription.

“I don’t think you are ever finished when it comes to looking at new technology that is available to help improve patient care and safety,’’ said Richard Vermeer, D.O., medical director of the Emergency Department at Genesis, Davenport. “Additional improvement can be made each year. For example, in the past year we’ve gone from just beginning to use CPOE to using it a majority of the time in the Emergency Department.’’

• Bringing digital mammography to the QC – Genesis and Radiology Group Imaging Center, LLC have purchased the most advanced digital mammography technology available and will offer it to Quad-Cities women later this year. This will allow for earlier detection of breast cancer for younger women and  women whose traditional mammograms have been difficult to interpret. Plans include the installation of a fiber-optic cable linking the existing imaging archives and the new mammography archives of Genesis and the Radiology Group Imaging Center on 53rd Street in Davenport.
• On-line bill payment – People now can enjoy the convenience of logging onto www.genesishealth.com to pay their Genesis bills. It’s one of many enhancements this year to the Genesis Web site ranging from the ability to watch a real surgery on the Web from a Genesis Operating Room to the ability to register online for any Genesis event, class or screening.
• Communications network – Genesis is participating in a Quad Cities pilot program led by Raytheon Co. aimed at providing first responders and public safety officials with new and dramatically improved communications services. This will enhance collaboration and improve existing capabilities among law enforcement agencies, governments and Genesis to communicate with improved speed and efficiency during a disaster.

High-tech health care

The new advancements of the past year were added to a number of electronic features at Genesis. Throughout the health system, paper charts, hand-written orders and traditional x-ray films are fast becoming things of the past.

Patients and visitors can log onto their laptop computers and enjoy instant Wireless Internet access at any hospital within Genesis.

From a heavily wired “cockpit” with multiple cardiac monitors, a Genesis technician in Davenport can watch the heart rhythms of a patient on the Illini Campus in Silvis. Noticing an unusual rhythm, she can alert an on-site nurse wearing a small communications badge called Vocera.

A doctor treating a patient for a possible fracture in the emergency room at Genesis, DeWitt can send the digital images to the Davenport campus, to be read by a radiologist. In a short time, the radiologist can study the images, respond electronically and the treatment of the patient can resume in a quick, film-less radiology process called PACS, or the Picture Archiving and Communication system.

Inside the Operating Room, a computer system called SurgiNet automates surgical processes and procedures; standardizes nursing care documentation; enhances surgical supply chain management; and, improves billing accuracy.

Omnicell, an automated medication dispensing system at Genesis, improves patient safety by reducing the risk of medication errors.

Genesis also has introduced Employee Self Service, which allows employees to handle human resources tasks and document personal information through a secure Web portal, eliminating the need for paper records. Genesis also has E-Recruiting available for anyone seeking a position at Genesis.

Genesis Medical Center, Davenport is one of 67 health care organizations on the list of 100 Most Wired that have made the list at least four times.

The 100 Most Wired list is based on the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study conducted annually by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, which is the journal of the American Hospital Association (AHA). Nearly 1,300 hospitals submitted data to the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study.

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