WPA HIMSS Member Spotlight
Tom Johnson, MBA, CPAChief Information Officer, Penn Highlands Healthcare
Operating as a healthcare organization today means finding a sustainable balance between multitudes of items, including superior patient care, cost saving measures, and regulatory demands. Across the country, hospitals and medical practices have been scrambling towards Meaningful Use Stage 2 attestation since the beginning of April. For Stage 2 attestation, hospitals must prove that their implemented EHR increases patient engagement, is capable of transmitting care summaries across multiple settings, and comply with greater requirements around e-prescribing and lap results, according to CMS.
So far, Stage 2 attestation results have been underwhelming at best, with only 78 hospitals attesting as of August 1, according to CMS data. One area hospital, however, can proudly say they were able to attest in April.
Penn Highlands Dubois attested for Stage 2 on April 7, one of, if not the first hospital in the nation to do so. This accomplishment was made possible due to foresight, dedicated planning, and a hardworking team, according to Penn Highlands CIO, Tom Johnson. “We started our preparations when the HITECH came out back in early 2009,” said Johnson. His organization worked on Stage 1 since early in 2010 and focused its efforts on “exceeding every measure, shooting for 100% in every category, including all the operational measures.” Ultimately, Johnson credits the organization’s team of leaders and IT professionals for the success. “Their creativity, knowledge and passion for their work is really what made this all happen,” according to Johnson.
As hospitals across the organization continue to grapple with meeting Stage 2 objectives, we congratulate Johnson and Penn Highlands Dubois on their well-deserved accomplishment!
Link to their website http://wpa.himsschapter.org/
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