WCA Hospital Collaborates with Stoltenberg Consulting To Transition From HIMSS Analytics Stage 1 to Stage 6 in Less Than 12 Months

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- WCA Hospital, a 317-bed, regional health system based in New York, has transitioned from HIMSS Analytics Stage 1 to Stage 6 in adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) in less than 12 months. A new case study was made available today by Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm that collaborated with the hospital to achieve a simultaneous go-live of more than 35 healthcare IT solutions within a year. WCA Hospital is one of the first hospitals in the country to achieve Stage 6 within this timeframe, and has already begun taking steps to achieve Stage 7.

Prior to kicking off this project with longtime IT partner, Stoltenberg, WCA considered solutions that would enable them to improve upon current chart access, chart legibility and duplication, as well as the limited chart storage space and labor-intensive chart retrieval process. Additionally, WCA sought to simplify complicated interfaces, improve limited integration of financial and clinical systems, and relieve the burden of juggling multiple vendors.

WCA Chief Information Officer, Keith Robison, commented on the impact Stoltenberg made during the go-live process. "Stoltenberg exceeded industry standards when it assisted the WCA go-live with a diverse array of HIT products within a tight timeframe. Our ability to attest to meaningful use and rapidly move from HIMSS Stage 1 to Stage 6 is a tribute to Stoltenberg's tenacity and HIT implementation savvy." 

Based on best practices from this project, WCA and Stoltenberg professionals offer this advice to organizations that want to execute multi-solution, big bang implementations, attest to meaningful use and reach higher levels of EMR adoption: 

• Look toward compromise. "Choose your battles carefully," advises Robison. "Speak up in support of critical issues and topics rather than taking a stand on minor intrusions."
• Overcome the silo mentality. See beyond the features and functions of your organization's own solutions to grasp the purpose, strategy and goals of an entire HIT project.
• Demand flexibility and commitment. "Make sure everyone understands the purpose, relevance and benefits of the HIT project, including the necessity of tight timeframes," says Robison.
• Prepare for disruptions. "Counsel professionals to anticipate possible crises and work toward resolving them by pre-determined deadlines," says Laura Josephson, Clinical Informatics Manager at WCA.
• Expect the unexpected. Healthcare professionals may issue side requests involving revamped forms or assessment questions. Says Robison, "Go with the flow, addressing requests and developments as honestly and politely as possible."

Stoltenberg is available to discuss the WCA go-live at the upcoming HIMSS14 Conference, Feb. 24 – 27 in Orlando, Fla., at its booth, #2465. More information about Stoltenberg's presence at HIMSS14 can be found at www.stoltenberg.com/himss14/. To download the case study, please visit www.stoltenberg.com.

About Stoltenberg Consulting 
Founded in 1995, Pittsburgh-based Stoltenberg Consulting Inc. creates an environment for success by working with healthcare organizations to provide a variety of services including project management, implementation support and integration between systems. Members of the Stoltenberg Consulting team are consultants with extensive experience in both financial and clinical systems, averaging more than 15 years of direct on-site hospital experience. Stoltenberg Consulting has grown rapidly to serve a client base of more than 200 preeminent healthcare organizations throughout the United States providing services for Siemens (Approved Partner), Epic (Preferred Partner), Cerner, McKesson, Meditech, NextGen, Allscripts and Zynx customers. For more information call 1-888-724-1326 or visit www.stoltenberg.com.

Media Contact: 
Emma Ludwin
KNB Communications
[email protected] 
203-504-8230 ext. 107

SOURCE Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc.