NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Houston Orthopedic & Spine Hospital has met Stage 1 meaningful use criteria using the certified electronic health record (EHR) from Healthcare Management Systems Inc.® (HMS). The 64-bed specialty orthopedic and neuro-spine facility achieved meaningful use less than a year after implementing the HMS EHR, which rapidly delivered clinical and financial improvements while serving as the facility’s foundation for meeting meaningful use criteria established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Houston Orthopedic & Spine Hospital, formerly known as Foundation Surgical Hospital, chose HMS as its healthcare IT partner because the facility’s previous system failed to provide the functionality needed to effectively manage increasing patient volumes or meet strategic objectives such as meaningful use.
“We were already evaluating our clinical and business needs when meaningful use began ramping up, and because HMS implemented quickly and achieved project milestones without delays, we were able to dive head first into our meaningful use plans much sooner than expected,” said George Walker, chief operating officer at Houston Orthopedic & Spine Hospital. “Our facility is in the top 5 percent in the nation when it comes to patient experience, and we chose HMS because we knew we could rely on their systems to help us continue this standard of care amid increasing patient volumes. HMS is committed to growing with us, and it’s the platform we need for future success.”
Houston Orthopedic & Spine Hospital successfully attested for Stage 1 meaningful use with CMS, and has received payments from EHR incentive programs. In addition, the HMS clinical applications enable physicians to electronically sign orders and remotely access clinical information. The financial applications in the HMS product suite also drove financial improvements, such as the hospital reducing days-to-bill by 80 percent.
“The HMS system is easy to grasp and understand, and it gives us the data we need, whether that’s for meaningful use clinical quality measures or to meet our patient safety, compliance and financial objectives,” Walker said. “HMS and its experts have been the biggest part of our meaningful use solution, but we also benefited from speaking with other HMS facilities that have been eager to discuss their attestation experiences. There’s a lot of value in being part of the HMS network.”
Houston Orthopedic & Spine Hospital is located in Bellaire, Texas, just minutes from downtown Houston’s Texas Medical Center, where 49 hospitals, specialty and educational facilities comprise the largest concentration of medical services in the U.S. The hospital, which is 80 percent physician-owned and growing rapidly, provides a unique patient-enabling environment with concierge services to assist patients with referrals, support and information.
“Our partnership with Houston Orthopedic & Spine Hospital shows how providers can achieve significant clinical and financial benefits with HMS while weaving meaningful use into their ongoing healthcare IT strategy,” said Tom Stephenson, president of HMS. “The physician and administrative leaders at Houston Orthopedic & Spine Hospital have created a culture committed to extraordinary patient care and outcomes, and HMS is proud to partner with a facility whose success makes it unique, even within the prestigious and highly competitive Houston healthcare market.”
About HMS
Healthcare Management Systems Inc. (HMS) is a Nashville-based healthcare company that develops, sells and supports integrated clinical and financial hospital information systems and services designed to increase efficiency while improving patient safety. The HMS EHR is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by Drummond Group, an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Founded in 1984, HMS currently serves more than 700 community hospitals; behavioral, rehabilitation and long-term acute-care facilities; and multi-entity healthcare organizations nationwide. For more information, please visit www.hmstn.com.
HMS is part of HealthTech, a health information technology company that owns HMS, MEDHOST and Sentry Healthcare Services. HealthTech’s mission is to acquire and manage technology companies focused on creating value for the healthcare industry. More information is available at www.healthtechholdings.com.