Hospital Integrates Cerner EHR for Interoperability, Data Insights
In efforts to boost interoperability and promote patient access to health information, McLaren Bay Region Hospital has integrated the Cerner EHR.
McLaren Bay Region Hospital has integrated the Cerner EHR to promote interoperability and improve quality of care through data-driven insights and patient access to health information.
The hospital’s new EHR system went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, June 5.
The organization said the centralized EHR will allow members of the care team to efficiently document and access patient health information in near real-time, effectively cutting back on administrative burden and boosting interoperability.
The EHR integration will also provide clinicians with data-driven insights to help inform care decisions, McLaren Bay explained.
"Cerner's integrated system will allow McLaren Bay Region to improve management of the health status of our patients and the communities we serve, as well as enhance the efficiency, productivity, and satisfaction for our physicians and staff who utilize the system," Clarence Sevillian, president and CEO at McLaren Bay Region Hospital, said in a press release.
The health IT vendor’s secure online patient portal will provide patient access to health information and records. Enrollment in the portal will also allow patients to securely receive and send secure messages with their care team, view upcoming appointments, and pay outstanding balances, the organization noted.
“We look forward to providing the community the benefits of this new EHR system,” Sevillian continued. “This significant investment in technology is aligned with our mission of being the best value in health care as defined by quality outcomes and cost.”
McLaren Bay is one of many organizations signing onto the Cerner EHR system this year.
Earlier this year, twelve behavioral health facilities within the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) group launched Cerner EHR to provide clinicians with up-to-date patient information on a central platform.
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed that almost half of adults (45 percent) have had their mental health negatively impacted due to COVID-19. Cerner said the pandemic has amplified the need for health IT to support mental healthcare.
“A single EHR across all locations is a key step towards standardizing care delivery,” Alison Land, commissioner of DBHDS, said in a press release at the time of the announcement. “As the demand for community mental health and substance abuse resources continues to rise in the wake of the pandemic, there’s no better time to upgrade technology systemwide.”
“For us this marks a new era of automation, bringing increased care coordination across our network and using technology to help improve care, treatment and communication with our clients,” Land continued.
DBHDS also leveraged the vendor’s revenue cycle management platform.
“As a trusted industry leader in technology, data exchange and interoperability, Cerner can deliver the efficiency, reliability, and security our clients, including DBHDS, need to improve health outcomes,” John Dreager, PhD, vice president of client relationships at Cerner, said in a statement.
“Cerner's technology is designed to help improve continuity of patient care and a seamless exchange of health data between doctors and patients. We are proud to help Virginia address the mental and behavioral health needs of their residents.”