Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou District, New Taipei City, Taiwan was recently revalidated for Phase 7 of the HIMSS Model for adoption of electronic health records. It was also validated for Phase 6 of the HIMSS Infrastructure adoption model.
The EMRAM measures an organization’s adoption and maturity of their EMR capabilities, while the INFRAM assesses the architecture of their IT infrastructure in five areas: cybersecurity, adoption, sustainability, performance and results.
Phase 6 and 7 HIMSS validations are valid for three years, after which organizations must undergo an extension to retain them.
WHY IT MATTERS
During the revalidation for Phase 7 EMRAM, evaluators noted “impressive” demonstrations of CGMH’s operational, business, and advanced analytics. For example, a feature of the electronic medication administration record – which recommends the order of medication administration to nurses – was “an excellent innovation that aptly demonstrated how even small features, based on a deep understanding of clinical flows and pathways, can help improve quality and safety outcomes for patients,” said Andrew Pearce, VP of Analytics and Global Advisory Lead at HIMSS.
The hospital’s senior leadership was also praised for being “immersed in understanding and implementing organizational policies with robust governance, good lines of communication and a strong understanding of ground practices.”
On the infrastructure side, CGMH was praised for its strong infrastructure management and active physician involvement in infrastructure investments; regular security and downtime simulations, performed twice a year; a “clean and well-managed” data center with an efficient organization of cabling works; and the demonstration of innovation applications such as digital pathology and smart customer service, called Chang Gung APO.
THE BIG TREND
In 2022, CGMH sought to align with international standards for smart hospitals by being assessed for the HIMSS Digital Health Indicator. That year, it in second place in the world rankings.
After the latest validations, the hospital is soon aiming for a Stage 7 INFRAM validation.
“Our institution will continue to invest in smart healthcare, AI big data and AIoT, the Internet of Things, structured health records, telemedicine, digital medical imaging, data analytics maturity, FHIR and other areas to leverage the human-centric and interoperable dimensions of digital improve technology. health,” said Professor Cherng Wen-Jin, Chairman of the Chang Gung Steering Committee, on CGMH’s future digital investment priorities.
“We will also actively invest in information security measures to ensure the strictest protection of patient privacy,” he added.
ON THE RECORD
Speaking about the importance of rehabilitation for the HIMSS Digital Maturity models, CGMH Superintendent Dr. Chien-tzung Chen Healthcare IT news:
“The revalidation of Phase 7 HIMSS EMRAM represents our commitment and dedication to continuously raising the level of healthcare information management. With the rapid advancement of technology, healthcare information management is no longer just a supporting tool, but a crucial factor in improving the quality of medical care.” Our institution views rehabilitation as an opportunity for continuous improvement, ensuring that our digital healthcare system remains synchronized with international peer standards and technologies.
“The importance of rehabilitation lies primarily in the self-assessment of quality and efficiency by healthcare institutions. By reevaluating our digital healthcare system, including patient data security, EMR management, medical decision support systems and patient-centered care concepts, we can not only identify potential areas for improvement, but also improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare services.
“Secondly, rehabilitation demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest quality of service, continually striving for excellence rather than settling for the status quo. Patients benefit from more advanced and secure healthcare information management services.
“Overall, rehabilitation is not only a challenging process, but also a demonstration of dedication and pursuit of excellence. It sets a new benchmark for healthcare information management in Taiwan.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Wen Ming-Shien, Deputy Inspector of CGMH, explained the benefits of validating for the HIMSS INFRAM:
“Achieving the INFRAM 6 certification represents international recognition of our institution’s maturity and operational excellence in healthcare information infrastructure.
“Through the INFRAM 6 certification process, hospitals have the opportunity to comprehensively assess key gaps and potential risks in their IT infrastructure architecture. By optimizing infrastructure within the organization, we can reduce network and infrastructure risks, streamline infrastructure management, and improve cybersecurity. Through communications collaboration and data center integration, we aim to create a patient-centric healthcare environment, ultimately improving the quality of healthcare services.
“Achieving INFRAM Stage 6 is a significant achievement and adequately prepares us to pursue Stage 7.”