The Elmhurst Clinic was recently recognized for its use of technology innovation to improve healthcare delivery and efficiency.

During the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference & Exhibition in Chicago on April 6, the Clinic accepted the Microsoft Health Users Group (MS-HUG) 2009 Innovation Award in the category of Clinical Care – Ambulatory Records.

The award was presented jointly to NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a leading provider of healthcare systems and connectivity solutions for physicians and medical groups. 

The Elmhurst Clinic implemented NextGen Healthcare's electronic health record in 2005 and has seen improvements in patient care while streamlining administrative workflow, decreasing costs and increasing productivity and collaboration.

"We are proud to partner with NextGen and maximize the Microsoft platform," said Mary Stull, vice president of the physician practice division for Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare and chief operating officer of the Elmhurst Clinic. "The interconnected technologies have transformed the way our physicians communicate and obtain vital information."

The electronic health record has helped physicians improve access to patient information, speed responses and improve outcomes through patient health tracking and clinical alerts. A laboratory interface, for example, produces results so rapidly that some patients have received information before making it home from the physician office visit. Another functionality allows physicians to electronically transmit prescriptions directly to a pharmacy, meaning they can be filled and ready for pickup by the time a patient arrives. This also dramatically reduces the risk of error caused by illegible handwriting. 

Now in its 12th year, the MS-HUG Annual Awards reward excellence in healthcare technology and showcase organizations that promote breakthroughs by enhancing the quality of patient care, reducing costs, streamlining clinical and business processes, driving interoperability, improving productivity and workflow, and enabling informed decisions, as well as independent software vendor solutions that demonstrate the best use of Microsoft technology to drive results in the healthcare industry. Award contestants are evaluated on how they provide significant business benefits to healthcare organizations and improve patient care.

Electronic Health Record

• By partnering with NextGen, the Clinic physicians and staff now have an organized system to share and manage clinical and administrative patient health information.
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Registration Kiosk

• To make the process of checking in for an appointment faster and easier, the Elmhurst Clinic has installed electronic registration kiosks at several locations.
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