Transylvania Community Hospital, a 94-bed not-for-profit hospital located in Brevard, N.C., is using a three-year, $540,000 federal grant to install an electronic medical record to communicate with local physician practices.
"Shared electronic medical records - by providing accurate patient information - will benefit physicians and patients by improving the quality and safety of medical care," said Bob Bednarek, president and CEO of the hospital. "At the same time, this electronic network will lower patient-care costs by eliminating medical test duplication and will provide a detailed picture of the health of the overall community."
The hospital will use the grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration to support rural health network development, to implement Misys Healthcare's Tiger practice management platform and Misys EMR.
The hospital is a member of the Westerdn North Carolina (WNC) Data Link Network, which serves patients in 15 counties. Part of the grant will be used to implement new healthcare IT solutions in the WNC Data Link Network.
The development of an integrated health network is especially important to the region served by Transylvania Community Hospital, where the U.S. Census Bureau estimates 12.6 percent of the population is living below the federal poverty level.
"Misys applauds Transylvania Community Hospital's commitment to improving the quality of patient care with community connectivity," said R.L. "Vern" Davenport, executive vice president and general manager of Misys Healthcare, based in Raleigh, N.C. "Misys is committed to eliminating the barriers to EMR adoption, and through grant programs and affordable physician-friendly technology like Misys EMR, Transylvania's vision is becoming a reality."
Have you encountered barriers or had problems implementing an EMR system? What could be done to improve the process? Send your comments to Managing Editor Eric Wicklund at eric.wicklund@medtechpublishing.com.