Clinical Decision Support Tool Reduces Readmissions
By Wendy Grafius, contributing writer
Oconee Medical Center hopes to improve patient outcomes with implementation of Rothman Index to Paragon EHR
Oconee Medical Center, of Seneca, SC, has selected PeraHealth’s PeraTrend clinical decision support tool to drive excellence in healthcare quality. The implementation is expected to help the community-based hospital accelerate detection of at-risk patients and reduce readmissions.
Oconee sought to obtain meaningful data from its McKesson Paragon EHR and to reduce unplanned readmissions. “When we saw PeraTrend we knew that it was a revolutionary product,” said Hunter Kome, COO of Oconee. “Using the Rothman Index, PeraTrend distills information buried in an EMR’s database to allow doctors and nurses to better understand not only a patient’s current condition, but trends over time. PeraTrend leverages our investment in the Paragon EHR, and will help our clinicians target interventions more quickly, using protocols based on scientifically proven acuity measures.”
With ten years in development, PeraHealth’s propriety solution, the Rothman Index, serves as the scientific engine of PeraTrend. By extracting intelligence from a patient’s EHR, clinicians will be able to detect subtle changes in a patient’s condition, compare to previous admissions, and predict patient risk – all of which will lead to earlier medical intervention and improved patient outcome. “We are delighted to have Oconee Medical Center join us in our mission to transform the use of decision support technology in healthcare,” said Stephanie Alexander, CEO of PeraHealth. “Oconee is a visionary organization, and it is only natural they would be on the forefront of this next leap forward in healthcare quality.”
Not-for-profit Oconee Medical Center is a 169-bed hospital that serves residents of Oconee County, SC, and surrounding communities. Founded in 1939, the hospital provides a complete range of inpatient, outpatient, and community-based services, including physician practices, emergency medical services, a long-term care nursing facility, and a residential hospice house. More than 120 physicians provide care in 25 specialties. The 2011 quality award rankings from CareChex recognized Oconee as the top hospital for patient safety in South Carolina for overall medical care. Additionally, the community-based hospital ranked number one in the state for medical excellence and patient safety for pulmonary and pneumonia care.
SOURCE: Reuters