Cross-Collaborating to Strengthen External Relationships and Achieve Interoperability

Since their initial implementation of the EMRAM/O-EMRAM, Sutter Health, an integrated healthcare system headquartered in Northern California, has prioritized interoperability by maintaining a focus on the advancement of better facilitation of health data both within and beyond their own four walls.

Fostering Relationships with Local Organizations to Close Information Gaps

The organization outlined an interoperability strategy which focused on the implementation of an enterprise Health Information Exchange (HIE). The HIE platform would facilitate the compilation of patient data from multiple sources, including external sources, in order to develop a complete longitudinal record to support patient care and operations.

Sutter Health prioritized working closely with local healthcare organizations utilizing the same electronic medical records that were supporting query-based document exchange. Through collaborations with local organizations, Sutter Health focused on lowering the barriers to information exchange – for example, addressing the implementation of cross-organizational event notifications including patient encounters and transition of care.

Recent advancements have contributed to progressive increases in the number of patient records exchanged by Sutter Health from approximately 65,000 per month in 2013 to over three million per month in 2017.

HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Revalidation

HIMSS Analytics is proud to recognize Sutter Health for their revalidation as a Stage 7 healthcare system, as tracked by both the EMRAM and the O-EMRAM.

"Sutter Health’s provider network delivers clinical care to approximately one percent of the U.S. population and data interoperability is a critical attribute of our clinical integration model,” said Jon Manis, Sutter Health Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “Foundational to our quality, safety and care coordination initiatives, we continuously strive to deliver value from our investments in data interoperability on behalf of the patients, providers and community we serve. While much work remains to be done, I am proud of the groundbreaking efforts of the collective teams within our Information Services department and our clinical and operational partners.”

“Sutter Health leverages one of the world’s largest EMR implementations to facilitate an exceptional use of electronic medical records, supporting over 25 acute care sites and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory sites. Consistency of governance across the organization leveraging common health IT, pervasiveness of the network, and a strong appetite for leveraging healthcare data for better insights, both clinical and operational, are unique traits that have driven Sutter Health to over-deliver on EMRAM as well as O-EMRAM Stage 7 performance,” said James E. Gaston, senior director of healthcare advisory services for HIMSS Analytics.

Learn more about how to empower your organization with the HIMSS Analytics EMRAM.

Visit the HIMSS Analytics website or contact Maura Bilek and Kyle Munderville with press inquiries or for more information on the healthcare provider maturity models and Stage 7 award.