First Two Hospitals in Qatar to Achieve HIMSS Stag

DOHA, Qatar and KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 03, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics has recently announced that two Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) facilities, the Heart Hospital and the National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), have achieved the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model ^SM (EMRAM) Stage 6 distinction, an international benchmark for the use of advanced IT to improve patient care. This is the first HIMSS Analytics Stage 6 achievement in Qatar.

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“The Stage 6 accreditation demonstrates that electronic physician documentation has been installed throughout the entire hospital with structured documentation templates, which enables physicians to ‘point-and-click’ from a standardized selection of options that facilitate future reporting and data analysis.   We have a clinical decision support system, and closed loop medication administration, which contributes to the delivery of safer and more effective patient care,” said Professor William McKenna, medical director and CEO of the Heart Hospital.

This first HIMSS Analytics Stage 6 achievement in Qatar reflects years of hard work and dedication to improving patient care and business processes, made possible by HMC’s systemwide adoption of Cerner Millennium’s® electronic health record (EHR).

“Working with Cerner, the team has embraced the technology of the clinical information system, which enhances patient safety and improves the efficiency of care delivery.  We also thank our patients and their families for their willingness to work with us during the pre- and post-implementation phases of our new advanced health care systems,” said Professor Alexander Knuth, medical director and CEO of the NCCCR.

HIMSS Analytics developed the EMRAM as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database. There are eight stages (0 – 7) that measure a hospital's implementation and utilization of information technology applications. Hospitals can tack and review their progress in completing each stage as they proceed towards the ultimate goal of reaching Stage 7, which represents an advanced electronic patient record environment that delivers safety and efficiency improvements.

Dr. AbdulWahab Al Musleh, HMC’s deputy CMO for Clinical Information Systems and EMRAM project sponsor said, “Through effectively using Cerner Millennium , the digital progress continues to transform the way care is delivered to our patients. With more complete patient information, our clinicians improve their ability to make well-informed treatment decisions quickly and safely.”

“Cerner Millennium produced savings in several areas, including medication entry. A primary benefit of the Computer Physician Order Entry (CPOE) is that it can help reduce errors, such as those related to illegible handwriting, transcription of medication orders and adverse drug events. Over the next year, with the continued use of CPOE, we expect to continue saving lives while lowering costs,” added Dr. Al Musleh.

Dr. Alejandro Kohn Tuli, Senior Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at HMC, a key contributor to the project, added, “Achieving Stage 6 recognition is the result of collective team effort by all clinical and administrative teams, which would not have been possible without their valuable commitment. This achievement is an important milestone keeping HMC hospitals on the forefront clinically and technologically, regionally and internationally.”

HMC’s Heart Hospital and NCCCR are the first two hospitals in Qatar to achieve HIMSS Analytics Stage 6 accreditation. In addition, the facilities are Cerner’s No. 14 and No. 15 clients in the Middle East to receive the recognition.

“We are proud to support the Heart Hospital and NCCCR, especially on their journey to become a certified HIMSS Analytics Stage 6 organization and achieve this prestigious milestone. We look forward to continue the hard work with all HMC facilities,” said Eric Engman, general manager, Cerner Middle East.

Heart Hospital and NCCCR will be recognized at the HIMSS Qatar Educational Conference and Health IT Exhibition in May 2017.

For more information about the Hamad Medical Corporation and Cerner relationship, watch this video .

About Hamad Medical Corporation Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is the main provider of secondary and tertiary healthcare in Qatar and one of the leading hospital providers in the Middle East. For more than three decades, HMC has been dedicated to delivering the safest, most effective and compassionate care to all its patients. HMC manages nine hospitals – six specialist hospitals and three community hospitals – as well as the National Ambulance Service and has home and residential care. In January 2016, HMC achieved the significant distinction of becoming the first healthcare system across the globe to have all its hospitals accredited by Joint Commission International under the Academic Medical Center accreditation program. Additionally, the National Ambulance Service, Home Healthcare Service, Stroke Service and Palliative Care, have all received this prestigious accreditation since 2011.

To meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, HMC has announced ambitious plans to expand capacity across its network through to 2030. This expansion plan includes four new hospitals in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City. HMC is leading the development of the region’s first academic health system – combining innovative research, top-class education and excellent clinical care – and is committed to building a legacy of healthcare expertise in Qatar. HMC collaborates with key partners who are experts in Qatar and beyond, including Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Partners Healthcare, Boston. HMC is also the first hospital system in the Middle East to achieve institutional accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education – International (ACGME-I), which demonstrates excellence in the way medical graduates are trained through residency, internship and fellowship programs.

For more information please visit: www.hamad.qa or contact Noimot Olayiwola, Media Project Manager    Tel: (00974) 44390945; Mobile: (00974) 55568709; Email: nolayiwola@hamad.qa

About HIMSS Analytics HIMSS Analytics is a global healthcare advisor, providing guidance and market intelligence solutions that move the industry forward with insight to enable better health through the use of IT. As a trusted healthcare research and advisory firm, the industry depends on HIMSS Analytics’ resources, benchmarks, predictive models and assessment tools to improve decision making regarding their IT strategic roadmap and market strategy. HIMSS Analytics is uniquely positioned and differentiated through its industry focused offerings which include a Healthcare IT market intelligence tool, Healthcare IT insights and Healthcare IT benchmarks and services. Logic, HIMSS Analytics most comprehensive and intuitive market intelligence tool delivers access to the largest technology data set with unmatched breadth and depth needed for guiding healthcare IT strategies. HIMSS Analytics research and advisory consultants uncover unique insights on how to optimally use IT to tackle today’s healthcare challenges faced by both healthcare delivery organizations and IT companies.

Additionally, utilizing maturity models, they identify best practices and outline a strategic roadmap that lead transformational change. HIMSS Analytics has helped hospitals and clinical practices track and benchmark their EMR adoption and utilization goals since 2005 through the EMR Adoption Model (EMRAM). EMRAM provides a roadmap and guidance along an 8-stage model with comparisons to healthcare organizations in the same country and around the world. HIMSS Analytics, a wholly owned subsidiary of HIMSS, is the healthcare research and advisory firm for healthcare delivery organizations, IT companies, governmental entities, and financial, pharmaceutical, consulting and emerging technology solution partners worldwide.

HIMSS Analytics Middle East supports improved decision making for healthcare organizations, healthcare IT companies and consulting firms by delivering high quality market intelligence and analytical expertise.

About Cerner Cerner ’s health information technologies connect people, information and systems at more than 25,000 provider facilities worldwide. Recognized for innovation, Cerner solutions assist clinicians in making care decisions and enable organizations to manage the health of populations. The company also offers an integrated clinical and financial system to help health care organizations manage revenue, as well as a wide range of services to support clients’ clinical, financial and operational needs. Cerner’s mission is to contribute to the systemic improvement of health care delivery and the health of communities. Nasdaq: CERN. For more information about Cerner, visit cerner.com , read our blog at  blogs.cerner.com , connect with us on Twitter at  twitter.com/cerner  and on Facebook at facebook.com/cerner . Our website , blog , Twitter account and Facebook page contain a significant amount of information about Cerner, including financial and other information for investors. Certain trademarks, service marks and logos set forth herein are property of Cerner Corporation and/or its subsidiaries. All other non-Cerner marks are the property of their respective owners.

Cerner Middle East Media Contact: Vivian Gendy, vivian.gendy@cerner.com