Fitzgibbon’s “Most Wired” Designation Proves Ongoing Commitment to Patient Care, Safety and Satisfaction

December 07, 2018

Fitzgibbon Hospital has once again been named as one of only eight hospitals in the state of Missouri as HealthCare’s “Most Wired” for 2018 by The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). The designation is an affirmation of Fitzgibbon Hospital’s commitment to its patients by ensuring access to the latest technology to improve patient care, patient safety and satisfaction with the patient experience.

“Rather than having eight different medical record systems, we have worked very hard to integrate all of our systems into one,” said Tom Jones, Chief Information Officer. “The end result for our patients is improved safety, because our various care points can now see the tests, medications and procedures done in any of our other points of care. This one record leads to less duplication, greater safety in terms of medication prescriptions and administration, and an overall better patient experience.”

To achieve “Most Wired” status, Fitzgibbon Hospital’s Information Technology staff filled out an extensive survey, covering everything from intrusion prevention and mobile device security to the ways technology positively influences the handling of blood products, medications and patient care at the bedside.

“Our patients and community can be proud of the fact that Fitzgibbon Hospital achieved this honor alongside just eight other hospitals in the state. Those eight are all larger health systems that include Mercy, Mosaic Life Care, Saint Luke’s Health System, SSM Health, Truman Medical Centers and University of Missouri Health Care,” said Jones.

Following is an example of the safety improvements with the new Electronic Health Record:  if the emergency department delivers a medication to a patient during a visit, an alert will pop up on the EHR screen in other clinics working with that patient when they attempt to administer the same medication. In addition, any patient allergy that is input in any department within Fitzgibbon Hospital will cause the caregiver to be alerted to that allergy prior to the administration of medication.

In addition to being a “Most Wired” hospital, Fitzgibbon Hospital is also a Cerner Pillar Partner, one of only 12 hospitals to earn the designation worldwide.

“Due to the quality of our facility, the connection we have to The Living Center, our proximity to Kansas City, the specific size of our hospital and the expertise of our staff, Cerner selected us to be a Pillar Hospital,” said Jones. “This means that other hospitals around the world who are exploring the Cerner CommunityWorks Platform for their electronic health record will have the chance to tour our facility to see how our technology implementation and experience can benefit them. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to continue to invest in our own technology, ensuring our patients have the best access to care.”

Fitzgibbon Hospital received the designation during the CHIME Fall Chief Information Officer Forum in San Diego. CHIME has more than 2,700 members in 51 countries. The Most Wired designation comes as part of an international survey of hospitals and health systems to identify best practices and strengths in the industry as well as gaps in technology.