Hospital Expands Partnership to Create a Single Patient Record in the Community
BERLIN, MD – September 29, 2011 – As part of an ongoing commitment to advancing quality in healthcare and increasing patient safety, Atlantic General Hospital will invest in Sunrise Clinical Manager™ from Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX), a hospital-wide electronic health record (EHR). The new system will provide clinicians with instant access to the information needed to deliver better, safer and more convenient care for patients in the Ocean City area.
The Allscripts EHR and practice management system is currently used by Atlantic General Hospital’s network of primary care provider and specialist offices in Worcester County, Maryland and Sussex County, Delaware. This expanded agreement brings Allscripts into the hospital allowing patient care teams across the health system to have instant and secure access to each patient’s clinical information, improving the coordination of care and fostering a team approach to maintain the health of patients.
“Atlantic General is committed to using the latest technology to promote wellness, the utmost patient safety and the highest clinical outcomes in the hospital, in our physician practices, and for independent community physicians,” said Michael Franklin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic General Hospital. “Allscripts has been a dependable and innovative partner for our employed physicians, and their success connecting providers across communities convinced us they were the right partner to help us grow.”
Allscripts leverages an open technology platform that simplifies interoperability and connectivity with third-party systems. The Company’s Sunrise solution is the industry’s most utilized Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) system as well as pharmacy, critical care, emergency department, and inpatient clinical modules.
“We expect that implementing this system will improve overall quality and ensure that all of a patient’s critical information goes with them when they transition between the hospital and their participating physician’s office,” said Colleen Wareing, Vice President of Patient Services for Atlantic General. “Having one electronic health record that is shared among clinicians and all of our locations makes it easier to review a patient’s health history and be alerted to important changes in their health or early warning signs of trouble.”
Barbara Riddell, Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Atlantic General Hospital, said the close relationship between Allscripts technology and Microsoft was a primary reason she supported selecting the company over competitors. “When you deploy a major new technology platform, it’s reassuring that it’s based on the most common technology platform in the world, and one that all of our people are already familiar with,” Riddell said. “We’re also excited that we can integrate Sunrise with many of our existing financial and other IT systems, lowering costs while greatly improving the flow of clinical information between our caregivers.”
Allscripts Chief Executive Officer Glen Tullman commented, “Atlantic General Hospital has been a leader in leveraging technology to improve patient care. Our goal is to help them build on the base they’ve established to create a world-class care delivery network where caregivers receive immediate, actionable health insights leading to even better outcomes for patients.”
Sunrise Clinical Manager is certified as providing all of the capabilities needed for hospitals to demonstrate “meaningful use” of an Electronic Health Record and qualify for up to several million dollars in incentive payments under the federal HITECH Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. To maximize federal incentives for Atlantic General Hospital, Allscripts will implement the EHR using the Allscripts Speed-to-Value accelerated implementation process.
Atlantic General Hospital will also take advantage of Allscripts Remote Hosting to provide secure access to the EHR while freeing up local space, resources and costs associated with maintaining computer servers and deploying applications on-site.
About Atlantic General Hospital
Atlantic General Hospital has been providing quality health care to the residents of Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset (Md.) and Sussex (Del.) Counties since May 1993. Built by the commitment and generosity of a dedicated community, the hospital’s state-of-the-art facility in Berlin, Md. combines old-fashioned personal attention with the latest in technology and services. Atlantic General Health System, its network of more than 25 primary care provider and specialist offices, care for residents and visitors throughout the region. For more information about Atlantic General Hospital, visit www.atlanticgeneral.org.
For Further Information Contact:
Toni Keiser
Vice President, Public Relations
410-641-9678
tkeiser@atlanticgeneral.org