FTMC and Magruder Hospital to Become All-Digital, Smart Hospitals in 2010
01/28/2010 NORWALK and PORT CLINTON,
Ohio— In an ongoing commitment to provide
the best medical care and leading-edge technology, Fisher-Titus
Medical Center
in Norwalk and Magruder Hospital
in Port Clinton are expanding – in a non-traditional way. While over the past
decade, expansion has been in the form of buildings and square footage at both
hospitals, in 2010, the focus will be on expanding and integrating patient-focused
technology to create an environment that enhances
patient experiences and helps providers make the best and safest healthcare
decisions possible.
In a joint project, FTMC and Magruder Hospital are collaborating with Cerner
Corporation, a leading global healthcare technology corporation, to upgrade and
integrate information technology systems making them the first two
all-digital smart hospitals in the nation when the technology goes live in late
spring. This leap forward will rank FTMC and Magruder among the top 5 percent of
hospitals in the nation for the level of technology offered.
"FTMC and Magruder Hospital have an 11-year history of collaborating
on information technology projects," said FTMC President Patrick J. Martin. "We
are continuing that collaborative effort by partnering on this project,
maximizing our investments to bring this state-of-the-art technology to our
patients, providers and our communities."
One
component of the project will automate current electronic and paper-based
processes with a comprehensive electronic patient health record.
"The comprehensive electronic health record
(EHR) we are building with Cerner will have 'one source of information' that
will produce a single medical record for each patient," said John Britton, FTMC's vice president of information
services and Magruder's CIO consultant. "That record will be immediately accessible and
up-to-date in every clinical area our patients visit in the hospital. As an
example, instead of having to repeat your allergies, or what medications you
are currently on, you will only have to give that information once, and every
clinical area that needs that information will have access via your real-time medical records."
Currently
only 1.5 percent of the nation's roughly 6,000 hospitals use a comprehensive EHR.
In addition
to the EHR, the project also features patient-centered "smart" rooms at each
hospital. Patients will be able to use
an interactive TV to access their health information and daily schedules as well as the Internet, movies and their favorite
television programs.
A clinical "dashboard" in each room gives caregivers a
summary view of the patient's current relevant health information. Medical
devices such as blood pressure monitors feed data directly into the EHR.
"The
ability for our providers to instantly access integrated, real-time patient
information is a vital part of the care process and will improve patient
outcomes," said Cliff Harmon, Magruder's President and CEO. "And while all of
this technology is very impressive, equally impressive is its ability to allow
caregivers to spend more time with patients, because it will streamline
processes and cut down on paperwork."
While
teams from both hospitals are working with Cerner to install and customize clinical
electronic "solutions" for each department, physical
renovations also are taking place. At Magruder, patient rooms are being
renovated into new private rooms designed for the smart technology; and at
Fisher-Titus all patient rooms are being updated to support the smart
technology scheduled to go live in late spring.
"Fisher-Titus
and Magruder were well-positioned to take on a project of this magnitude," said
Martin. "Because of our history of working together on information technology
projects, the advanced technology we already were using, and the commitment and
dedication of our employees and medical staff, we were confident of
implementing this project on such an aggressive timeline."
Cerner
representatives are on-site at each facility working with hospital teams to put
in place the systems that will change how patient care is delivered.
"Fisher-Titus and Magruder have
always made patient safety and satisfaction a primary focus," said Trace
Devanny, Cerner president. "This shared vision on the patient experience with
Cerner and the commitment of the organization's leadership, caregivers and
staff, will create a model of care that can serve as a model for the rest of
our nation's healthcare providers."
The automation of these two smart hospitals will eventually create the
infrastructure to allow Fisher-Titus and Magruder to connect and securely share
information through a health information network. Through this network,
consumers could easily access their health record anywhere, at any time.
About Fisher-Titus Medical Center
Fisher-Titus Medical
Center is an
award-winning, highly-advanced community hospital serving North Central Ohio.
FTMC offers area residents a full continuum of care that includes Fisher-Titus Memorial
Hospital, a 98-bed acute care
hospital; Norwalk Memorial Home, a 69-bed skilled nursing facility; The
Carriage House of Fisher-Titus, a 48-unit assisted living facility; and a Home Health
Center. The hospital
provides a full range of the latest inpatient and outpatient diagnostic,
therapeutic, and ancillary services and has earned multiple accreditations and national
quality recognitions including HealthGrades Outstanding Patient Experience
Award two years in a row and being named on of the Top 100 Best Places to Work
in Healthcare two consecutive years. In addition, Fisher-Titus is a Level 3
Trauma Center and Primary
Stroke Center.
For more information, visit www.ftmc.com.
About Magruder Hospital
Magruder Hospital, located in Port Clinton, Ohio, is a
non-profit hospital serving a population of over 40,000 residents in Ottawa County.
As a state-of-the-art critical access hospital, Magruder employs nearly 400
people and receives support from 120 volunteers. The hospital has 30 active and
100 courtesy staff physicians in an array of specialties. Its 24- hour
emergency room, physician practices, and a large variety of outpatient and
inpatient services, allows it to meet the healthcare needs of the community.
For more information about Magruder
Hospital, please visit www.magruderhospital.com.
About Cerner
Cerner is transforming healthcare
by eliminating error, variance and waste for healthcare providers and consumers
around the world. Cerner®
solutions optimize processes for healthcare organizations ranging in size from
single-doctor practices, to health systems, to entire countries, for the
pharmaceutical and medical device industries, and for the healthcare commerce
system. These solutions are licensed by more than 8,000 facilities around the
world, including approximately 2,100 hospitals; 3,300 physician practices
covering more than 30,000 physicians; 500 ambulatory facilities, such as
laboratories, ambulatory centers, cardiac facilities, radiology clinics and
surgery centers; 600 home-health facilities; and 1,500 retail pharmacies. The
trademarks, service marks and logos (collectively, the "Marks") set
forth herein are registered and unregistered trademarks and/or service marks
owned by Cerner Corporation in the United States and certain other countries
throughout the world. Nasdaq: CERN. For more information about Cerner, please
visit our Web site at www.cerner.com.
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