Othello Community Hospital 2nd Critical Access Hospital to Receive National Distinction

SPOKANE and OTHELLO, Wash., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Othello Community Hospital, an Inland Northwest Health Services (INHS)-networked facility, has been recognized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics as achieving Stage 6 on the EMR Adoption Modelsm (EMRAM). Othello is only the second critical access hospital in the nation to receive this distinction, a testament to its commitment to using technology to best serve patients.

"It is an honor for Othello Community Hospital to be recognized as one of a few select hospitals in the nation that have implemented information technology solutions that achieve high levels of automated patient care and clinical processes," stated Harry Geller, administrator. "Patients are benefiting from our technology investment through INHS, helping ensure the delivery of accessible, cost-effective and quality health care in our region."

HIMSS Analytics identifies and scores hospitals on a scale of zero to seven based on their utilization of health information technology to create a fully digital environment. No critical access hospital in the country has yet achieved Stage 7. Stage 6 functionality includes:

• Clinical decision support systems
• Computerized charting and physician order entry
• Physician documentation
• Ability to capture, store, distribute and display electronic medical images.

"Having accurate and timely patient data available electronically and in one place allows care providers to raise the bar even higher on patient care and quality," said Jody Ulrich, chief nursing officer. "In particular, evidence-based prompts through the decision support system enhance the quality of care for all our patients."

"Othello is one of the nation's leading critical access hospitals in the adoption of health information technologies to improve patient outcomes," said Fred Galusha, chief information officer for INHS. "INHS networked hospitals have access to shared IT resources including applications and technical staff. Othello Community Hospital is implementing a long-term health IT strategy that supports improvement in hospital processes and leads to even better patient care."

Othello Community Hospital, located in central Washington, serves more than 20,000 people in a 400-square mile area.   Designated as a critical access hospital, Othello Community Hospital has more than 175 employees and care providers and provides a variety of health care services including: 24-hour ambulance service; 24-hour emergency department; anesthesiology; diagnostic imaging; dietary; laboratory; obstetrical care; physical and respiratory therapy; and surgical services. For more information visit www.othellocommunityhospital.org.

Inland Northwest Health Services (INHS), a non-profit corporation based in Spokane, Washington, provides the backbone for current and future innovative technologies in health information exchange. INHS connects 38 hospitals allowing physicians and providers to securely access patient information utilizing wired and wireless technologies. Twenty-one of INHS' networked-hospitals are ranked by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine as the "100 Most Wired" in the country. The INHS health information technology network includes more than 4,000 physicians, 450 clinics and physician offices and 3.5 million electronic medical records.

INHS provides collaboration in health care services on behalf of its member hospitals Deaconess Medical Center, Providence Holy Family Hospital, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital, and Valley Hospital & Medical Center, and the community. Other INHS companies include St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute, Community Health Education & Resources (CHER), Children's Miracle Network, Northwest TeleHealth and Northwest MedStar. For more information, visit www.inhs.org.

SOURCE Inland Northwest Health Services