Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Health System was recently selected as a 2018 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Davies Award recipient for its innovation work of digital medicine solutions.
Ochsner’s commitment to advancing healthcare has come to life through the integration of specialized digital medicine solutions within Epic, its electronic health record (EHR). Through the health system’s innovation lab, innovationOchsner (iO), the team was recognized for its implementation of three digital medicine solutions:
iO developed data capture tools within patient portals to understand all aspects of care that affect outcomes in chronic conditions and obstetrical care. Risk models were constructed to assist in providing guideline-based care driven by data captured through digital links to patients. Dashboards highlighting key data and risk elements were created for pharmacists and health coaches to augment care interventions, including guideline-driven medication treatment, as well as lifestyle and behavioral changes. Through their portals, patients receive monthly reports highlighting progress, changes in risk and helpful self-care advice. All of this data is accessible to providers at all times, who all receive progress summaries for all patients enrolled in the program.
The following results were observed during the programs’ pilot:
Leveraging these tools in the EHR allowed Ochsner staff to obtain a more robust personal and social history of each patient, while also increasing patient satisfaction and decreasing office visits.
HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence
The HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence recognizes outstanding achievement of organizations that have utilized health information technology to substantially improve patient outcomes and value. The HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence is the pinnacle of the HIMSS Value Recognition Program and highlights organizations promoting health information and technology-enabled improvements in patient and business outcomes through sharing evidence-driven best practices on implementation strategies, workflow design, change management and patient engagement.
“Ochsner’s unique application of integrating digital medicine and remote home monitoring into patient care has generated significant improvements in population health while improving patient satisfaction,” said Jonathan French, CPHIMS, senior director of quality and value-based care at HIMSS. “In addition, Ochsner has incorporated an innovative predictive model for identifying patients who are at high risk of opioid addiction, and uses that model to drive patients into alternative pain management models. Ochsner leverages information and technology as a mechanism to enable significantly improved care outcomes for their patients. For this, HIMSS is proud to recognize Ochsner Health as a 2018 Davies Enterprise Award winner.”
“With the explosion of digital applications and an increasing value in health information technology, it is critical that traditional health systems become more innovative in how and where care is delivered while still creating a connection with their patients,” said Warner Thomas, President and CEO, Ochsner Health System. “The HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence is a testament to our commitment in improving patient outcomes and drives our innovative approaches around opioid reduction, population health and digital medicine. As a national and global healthcare destination, we depend on every member of our organization to improve medical care, create a patient-centered culture and increase patient engagement. We are proud of the work our physicians and staff accomplish on a daily basis so that we can fulfill our mission to change and save lives of our patients.”
Learn more about how Ochsner Health has embraced the value of health information and technology: explore their award-winning use cases here.
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About Ochsner Health System
Ochsner Health is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 30 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and more than 80 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across three specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 60 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner employs more than 18,000 employees and over 1,200 physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties, and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
About innovationOchsner
innovationOchsner (iO) is an innovation lab launched by Ochsner Health to solve healthcare’s most pressing problems and reimagine and revolutionize the delivery and experience of healthcare. iO is developing new ways to empower patients to take an active role in monitoring, maintaining and enhancing their own health and for providers to dramatically improve the quality of care by managing patient conditions more effectively and efficiently. For more information, please visit www.ochsner.org/iO.