The ability to exchange electronic orders and results with physicians is vital for hospitals to remain competitive. Those that are successful are rewarded with far more business than their paper-based counterparts, which is something that Grand View Hospital can attest to. This 202-bed facility in Sellersville, Pennsylvania uses Forward Advantage’s Data Express solution for a real-time clinical orders and results exchange with physician EMRs.
To date, Grand View is exchanging a combination of unidirectional results and bidirectional orders and results with 110 physicians across 19 offices. This represents approximately 50 percent of the hospital’s aligned physicians, a figure which is continually growing. An additional 11 offices are either in the test phase or pending implementation. Grand View has garnered this business by proactively marketing Data Express to local practices and credits the solution for improving workflow and for helping to meet Meaningful Use objectives. With physician relationships strengthened, the hospital has noticed a dramatic increase in the volume of orders received. This has translated into a solid return on investment.
Replace point-to-point interfacing with cost-effective eMaps
Data Express accepts messages from a set of MAGIC, Client/Server, and 6.x HL7 interfaces that were developed in collaboration with MEDITECH. It delivers data to physician recipients using eMaps which can be shared by physicians with the same EMR specification. This does away with traditional point-to-point interfacing and provides a cost-effective and scalable solution for MEDITECH facilities. “It’s great when we work with repeat EMRs, because they can share an eMap,” says Laura Rutherford, clinical analyst at Grand View. “Not only is it cost-effective for the hospital, but it makes the implementation more of a plug-and-play.”
Connect with a variety of physician practices
Grand View has been using Data Express to connect with physician offices since 2010. Much of its success can be attributed to marketing efforts, as the hospital chose to reach out to the community when it was up and running with Data Express. “Our team proactively made calls and office visits to explain what Data Express is all about so that physicians would have a clearer understanding,” says Rutherford. “We included information in our newsletter last month, and five new offices have already reached out to us.” During the implementation, Rutherford and Spier recommend weekly conference calls with all involved parties. Rutherford points out that having a good middleware vendor, like Forward Advantage, helps to keep things on track. “We have a great working relationship and a clear understanding of each side’s responsibilities. I really can’t say enough about Forward Advantage’s service. It’s very unusual to work with a vendor as attentive as they are.”
“As payment methodologies change, we need to be proactive at transforming care and providing efficient services to the physicians who refer patients to our facilities. Data Express offers us this ability to receive orders and send results electronically to improve patient safety and care. Our providers are pleased with our ability to provide them electronic results at the time the result is completed.” - Jane Loveless, CIO at Grand View
Less paper means more revenue and Meaningful Use
The ability to receive electronic results has virtually eliminated the need for practices to file paper. “This is a huge benefit to them,” says Rutherford. “Some of these offices get 20 to 30 results a day from us. Imagine not having to file that.” This also makes practices more likely to do business with Grand View. “One of Grand View’s strategies is to restructure systems of care to increase care throughput and improve quality outcomes,” says Jane Loveless, CIO at Grand View.
Meaningful Use has been a key driver for Grand View, and Data Express has helped meet its objectives for submitting electronic results. The hospital is now looking forward to attesting to Stage 2 this July. Meaningful Use has been a key driver for physician offices as well. “The physicians we work with have been thrilled with the solution,” says Linda Spier, applications manager at Grand View. “They recognize the benefits of going paperless and its ability to help them with Meaningful Use reimbursement.”
“Grand View is a wonderful example of how a hospital can use Data Express to its fullest by reaching a wide range of physician practices,” says Lee Howard, vice president of client services at Forward Advantage. “They have streamlined workflow, improved the patient’s experience, and are moving forward with Meaningful Use. I consider them a great example for any organization.”
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