University of Kansas Hospital

Most Wired Provides Catalyst for Meaningful Use

For The University of Kansas Hospital, adopting health information technology (HIT) is a means to an end. “Most Wired gave us a head start on meaningful use,” said Chris Hansen, senior vice president of ambulatory services and chief information officer. Using the target as incentive for key stakeholder buy-in, the organization developed an effective electronic medical record (EMR) system that can truly drive change. Today, the hospital is on the verge of releasing an innovative, real-time clinical surveillance tool that will produce better patient outcomes at lower costs.

The goal of achieving most wired provided the organization an opportunity to create a governance structure that included clinical stakeholders. “We heavily involved the right physicians in the organization, including the chief medical information officer and the nursing informatics department, who gave input into the design of the EMR,” Hansen explained. Not only did this input improve adoption, but it allowed the hospital to create a patient-centered electronic chart, which improves service.

The organization has been working on clinical integration since implementing the EMR system in 2006, and is ready to begin testing for meaningful use. “We are evolving the system to create real-time decision support,” Hansen said. Warnings and best practice alerts are already integrated components, but the organization is in the process of taking meaningful use to the next level as a developmental partner in a clinical decision tool.

The automated tool aims to identify high-risk patients early, reduce readmissions, and proactively manage care delivery. “Identification of patients at risk will allow early intervention, which can save lives, especially with sepsis,” said Chris Wittkopp, director of quality outcomes and public reporting. The tool will also concurrently manage patient conditions and support early intervention when patients are at risk of not meeting goals – while still in the hospital. This proactive patient care should go far in reducing readmission rates and costs, as well as hospital-acquired conditions.

As part of the EMR, the tool will allow the organization to monitor best practices and begin record abstraction while the patient is still in the hospital. “Most hospital reporting is done retrospectively, which does not allow for intervention or correction of documentation at the time of detection,” Wittkopp explained. “Information is pulled together in one discreet place for clinicians to impact care.” Because the system will automatically report on key quality measures, it will help staff meet reporting and quality requirements. The decreased record abstraction time will allow staff to intervene concurrently instead of managing performance after the fact.

“A good foundation of EMR leads to better care in the long term,” Hansen said. And while it may have begun as a means to a seemingly distant end, The University of Kansas Hospital’s HIT initiative stands ready to provide real-time true value.

For more information about The University of Kansas Hospital’s HIT innovations, please contact:

Chris Hansen
Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Services and Chief Information Officer
The University of Kansas Hospital
[email protected]  
(913) 588-1270