Susquehanna Health Selects Perioperative and Anesthesia Automation Solution from Surgical Information Systems

ATLANTA, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Susquehanna Health, a three-hospital health system providing care to northern Pennsylvania, selected an integrated perioperative information management system provided by Surgical Information Systems (SIS).  The SIS solution will integrate seamlessly into the hospitals' existing Siemens Soarian® system and help the System enhance patient safety and drive business results.

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"Susquehanna selected the SIS Solution because of its capacity to drive enhanced surgical business performance and provide a perioperative EMR consisting of a single database for both the surgery and anesthesia record," said Lori Beucler, RN, MSN, CCRN, Administrative Director, Perioperative Services at Susquehanna Health.  

The drive for this new solution began in 2009 when the Susquehanna Health Perioperative Leadership Team developed a strategic plan to transform the System's existing medical record to a fully electronic perioperative record, while ensuring seamless interoperability with existing health information systems throughout the hospital.  The team, comprised of anesthesia, perioperative, GI, materials management and IT representatives, embarked upon a search for a vendor with a comprehensive operating room (OR) and anesthesia platform tailored to not only meet the Systems' unique documentation needs but also become a long term partner to help further  Susquehanna Health's quest for enhanced patient safety and financial performance.

"After an extensive research process and several visits to host sites we selected SIS not only because we believe that the product meets and exceeds our requirements, but also because we felt an immediate 'culture' connection with the SIS team," said Beucler.  "They are the best fit for the values and the mission of Susquehanna Health.  We are delighted to embark on this exciting journey with SIS and we look forward to a progressive partnership that yields unparalleled perioperative safety and business outcomes."

Karen M. Armstrong, RN, FACHE, Senior Vice President/CIO, Susquehanna Health commented, "The implementation of the solution from Surgical Information Systems will enhance the ability of Susquehanna Health's surgical team to provide safe patient care.  SIS is highly interoperable and gives perioperative staff the rich functionality they need, while integrating easily with our Siemens Soarian® platform.  We can offer real time information to families as they wait for their loved ones, using large screens in the surgical waiting rooms that indicate the status and location of their family member. All of this is done with confidentiality and privacy in mind, as patients are not listed by name, only by a pre-arranged identification symbol. This is another advancement in technology that ensures our patients receive the highest quality of care at Susquehanna Health."

Susquehanna Health plans to use data from the SIS Solution to establish measurable performance goals to improve OR utilization, quality outcomes, throughput, on-time starts, supply chain management and financial performance.  The system will accomplish these goals using a number of adaptable SIS modules including:

• SIS Anesthesia, which provides automation of the legal anesthetic record and is the only anesthesia information management system to share a single database with a specialty perioperative system
• SIS Rules-Based Charging, an HFMA "Peer Reviewed" product that has been shown to dramatically reduce lost charges and decrease supply costs per case
• SIS Analytics, an AHA-endorsed intuitive perioperative-specific business intelligence tool
• SIS Trax, a Web-based tissue management system that helps hospitals track tissue from receipt to final disposition

SIS CEO Ed Daihl said that forward-thinking health systems like Susquehanna Health are investing in systems that automate the financial engine of the hospital – the perioperative department. "Data from perioperative systems are essential not only for addressing meaningful use benchmarks, but are also crucial in Susquehanna's ongoing focus for improving patient quality, organizational efficiency, and cost reduction," said Daihl.

About Susquehanna Health

Susquehanna Health is a three-hospital integrated health system including Divine Providence Hospital, Muncy Valley Hospital and the Williamsport Regional Medical Center located in north central Pennsylvania. Serving patients from an 11-county region, Susquehanna Health is a health care leader and has been recognized at the national and state levels for quality of care, including the Data Advantage Top 100 Hospitals in the Nation for Healthcare Value and the Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania's Blue Distinctions designation for cardiac care, spine surgery and hip and knee replacement. Susquehanna Health offers a wide array of services that include cancer treatment, heart and vascular care/heart surgery, neurosciences including neurosurgery, orthopedics, urology, OB/GYN, gastrointestinal services, behavioral health, physical rehabilitation, home care, long term care, assisted living, and paramedic/ambulance services.

About SIS

SIS provides software solutions that are uniquely designed to add value at every point of the perioperative process. Developed specifically for the complex surgical environment, all SIS solutions – including anesthesia – are architected on a single database and integrate easily with other hospital systems. SIS offers the only surgical scheduling system endorsed by the American Hospital Association (AHA), and a rules-based charging system that has been granted Peer Reviewed status by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

For more information visit our website, www.SISFirst.com .

SOURCE Surgical Information Systems