ECRI Names the Guthrie Clinic Winner of 2023 Health Technology Excellence Award

Rural health system innovated a technology solution to improve healthcare delivery models in a short-staffed, post-pandemic environment

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ECRI, the nation's largest independent patient safety organization, names the Guthrie Clinic (Sayre, PA) as the winner of its 2023 Health Technology Excellence Award. ECRI's annual award honors a member facility for implementing an exceptional initiative to improve patient safety, reduce costs, or otherwise facilitate better strategic management of health technology.

The Guthrie Clinic, a rural integrated health system serving patients in New York and Pennsylvania, won this year's award for its strategic approach to addressing staffing shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using an artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced video and communications platform, the organization rapidly implemented a telesitting program to address their immediate need—a staffing crisis. Significantly, this initiative also served as the first phase and proof of concept for developing a virtual command center—called the Guthrie Pulse Center—that would centralize certain operational and patient care functions and provide greater access to clinical expertise regardless of where the patient was being treated.

"Shortages in the healthcare workforce are a top patient safety concern. We were impressed with the safety, quality, and financial results that Guthrie achieved after setting up their system," says Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI. "Their implementation of AI and video technology led to immediate improvements in patient safety, as well as demonstrable cost savings."

Beyond addressing the staffing crisis, the Guthrie Clinic's initiative positions the organization to better meet patients' future needs as healthcare delivery models evolve. The project is intended to help the organization improve care—and improve access to care—in a variety of settings across the large geographic region that the health system serves.

"We're thrilled to be recognized for the contributions the Guthrie Pulse Center is making to patient care," said Terri Couts, RN, MHA, Guthrie's Chief Digital Officer.

"Building off of our positive experience with AI in addressing our original staffing challenge, we broadened our focus to provide additional supportive care to our ICU [intensive care unit] nurses and the patients we serve by providing an experienced remote critical care nurse as enhanced support for the bedside nurse. This allowed for a more experienced nurse to support the less experienced ICU bedside nurse with functions like blood administration, second signs of high-risk medications, procedural support, and general questions and monitoring. This support directly impacts the outcomes of our patients, helps our nurses feel supported, and allows us to keep our patients in the right bed closest to home," explained Couts.

In addition to naming the Guthrie Clinic the 2023 award winner, ECRI recognizes the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality (Baltimore, MD) as runner-up for its development and implementation of an innovative safety-event-reporting software application. Award finalists are Einstein Medical Center, Jefferson Health (Philadelphia, PA), Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset (Somerville, NJ), and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (Miami, FL).

For more information about the Guthrie Clinic's initiative, read The Health Technology Excellence Award: Recognizing Exceptional Health Technology Management. To see past award winners, visit the Health Technology Excellence Award Winners Circle. To learn more about ECRI, visit www.ecri.org or email [email protected].

About ECRI
ECRI is an independent, nonprofit organization improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. With a focus on health technology and safety solutions, ECRI is respected and trusted by healthcare leaders and agencies worldwide. Over more than fifty-five years, ECRI has built its reputation on integrity and disciplined rigor, with an unwavering commitment to independence and strict conflict-of-interest rules.

ECRI is the only organization worldwide to conduct independent medical device evaluations, with labs located in North America and Asia Pacific. ECRI is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO is a federally certified Patient Safety Organization as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) formally became an ECRI Affiliate in 2020. Visit us at www.ecri.org.

About Guthrie
The Guthrie Clinic is a non-profit multispecialty health system that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Sayre, Pennsylvania, the Guthrie Clinic is one of the nation's longest established group practices, founded in 1910 by Dr. Donald Guthrie with a vision of providing patient-centered care through a clinically integrated network of employed providers. It is an industry leader in the use of technology and electronic medical records to provide high-quality care. Among the Guthrie Clinic's 6,500 caregivers are more than 700 physicians and advanced practice providers, representing the spectrum of medical specialties and sub-specialties. The Guthrie Clinic is a five-hospital system with a large network of outpatient facilities that spans nearly 9,000 square miles in Pennsylvania and upstate New York. It is dedicated to training the next generation of health care leaders, offering seven residencies and three fellowships. Visit us at www.Guthrie.org.

SOURCE ECRI