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Allina Hospitals & Clinics Receives 2007 HIMSS Davies Award

Posted on: Thursday, 20 September 2007, 12:00 CDT

Allina Hospitals & Clinics has been selected to receive the 2007 Davies Award for health care organizations. This award, presented annually by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the industry's preeminent award for health information technology. Allina is being recognized for its industry-leading electronic medical record system.

"This award validates what we at Allina already know: that we have one of the most fully integrated, comprehensive medical record systems in the nation," said Allina President and CEO Dick Pettingill.

Now in use at eight Allina hospitals and 65 clinic locations, the electronic medical record is harnessing the power of information to make patient care more effective, efficient and safe. The electronic medical record is a key tool for enabling Allina's strategic vision of providing seamless, coordinated, patient-centered care.

"The Organizational Davies Award Committee applauds the accomplishments of Allina Hospitals & Clinics," said Brian Jacobs, MD, chair of the Davies Organizational Award committee and CMIO and executive director for the Center for Pediatric Informatics at Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C., in a HIMSS news release. "This hospital system offers an outstanding example of how health IT can be implemented throughout this healthcare complex to improve the delivery of patient care."

Allina's electronic medical record system allows physicians and other caregivers immediate access to comprehensive medical record information on patients regardless of where within the Allina system they have been seen in the past. The result is care that is based on more knowledge -- knowledge of preexisting conditions, medications the patient may be taking, and past tests and evaluations the patient may have received. This allows caregivers to make more informed treatment decisions, which means fewer unnecessary tests and procedures and safer, more effective care.

Allina is also using the electronic medical record to monitor treatment regimens for patients with chronic diseases like diabetes, as well as to help identify patients who may be at risk for other diseases, in order to proactively intervene before conditions become acute.

The Allina electronic medical record system includes the MyChart patient portal (www.allina.com/mychart), an Internet tool that enables patients to securely access portions of their medical record, get lab results, schedule appointments online and more.

Allina is a founding partner in the Minnesota Health Information Exchange, a public-private partnership announced Sept. 10 to electronically link health records from organizations throughout Minnesota.

Allina hospitals using the electronic medical record are Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, United Hospital in St. Paul, Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Unity Hospital in Fridley, Buffalo Hospital in Buffalo, St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee, New Ulm Medical Center in New Ulm, and River falls Area Hospital in River Falls, Wis. The system is also in use throughout the Allina Medical Clinic and other Allina hospital-based clinics. More information on the Davies award is available it www.himss.org

Allina Hospitals & Clinics is a not-for-profit health care system of hospitals, clinics and other patient care services that provides exceptional care to communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin and employs more than 22,000 people. Allina Hospitals & Clinics facilities, services and jobs can be found online at www.allina.com.

Source: Business Wire

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