Revamping Best Practices for Improved Results with the EMRAM

As an academic medical center, University of California Davis Health (UC Davis Health) prioritizes resourcing new technologies and capabilities to manage and operate the enterprise more efficiently and effectively.

The medical center leveraged use of the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) to achieve significant decreases in the hospital-onset of infection rates for Clostridium difficile infections (most commonly referred to as C. diff).

UC Davis observed that their quarterly average of C. diff was around 27 incidences. In efforts to reduce these dangerous hospital-acquired infections, a multidisciplinary C. diff work group was formed to review and revamp best practices for treatment.

How UC Davis Reduced Instances of C. Diff

The work group implemented a screening program in the electronic medical records (EMRs), allowing staff to target more patients at-risk based on observations made during the review of patient lab results. The group also introduced a more robust antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). Previously, their ASP targeted only the highest at-risk patients with chart reviews and phone calls to primary care teams. This revamped model featured multiple rounds of personal interaction between patient and provider, embedding the review for antimicrobial risk factors into clinical team rounds.

Also monumental to reducing C. diff infection rates was the work group’s implementation of clinical decision support tools in the EMR. Designed to reduce inappropriate testing, a C. diff ordering algorithm was devised and integrated into order sets.

As a result, hospital-onset C. diff has been dramatically reduced at UC Davis Health – from the baseline of 27 cases per quarter, to 15-17 in the last two quarters. C. diff testing was effectively reduced by almost 25 percent thanks to the decision support integrated into C. diff diagnostic testing and education.

HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Validation

HIMSS Analytics is pleased to recognize UC Davis Health for its recent validation as a Stage 7 healthcare system, as tracked by the EMRAM.

“At UC Davis Health, we consider Stage 7 as a significant benchmark to plan, implement and continuously improve technology to ensure the best care and experience possible for our patients,” said UC Davis Health’s interim chief information officer, John Cook. “The organization is proud of this accomplishment; it is an acknowledgement of the devotion and hard work of all of our staff.”

“UC Davis Health has embraced the EMRAM model and driven efficiencies throughout their organization using data,” said Philip Bradley, regional director of North America for HIMSS Analytics. “As an academic medical center, it is critical that UC Davis Health trust their data. They have a robust data governance that ensures the data is accurate.”

Learn More

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

Contact Kyle Munderville for more information on the healthcare provider maturity models and Stage 7 award.