Winona Health - Hospital innovators 2007

Location: Winona, MN Website: www.winonahealth.org [1] What they're doing: By urban standards, Winona Health is a dot on the map, a small health system around a modest 99-bed facility. That didn't stop it from taking some decidedly forward-looking steps toward the digital future, however. Back in 2000-well ahead of the current national push for EMR use-Winona partnered with EMR giant Cerner to roll out a comprehensive, feature-rich clinical system. Unlike many communities, the picturesque 30,000-person town has been hooked up with broadband connections since the early 1990s, in a network spanning schools, government offices, homes and businesses--something Cerner required in a partner. Now Winona is using Cerner's IQHealth portal, which offers data access to both physicians and consumers. The portal offers broad access to critical records, ranging from clinical information such as doctors'notes and radiology images to financial data. It integrates e-prescribing functionality which connects to the area's pharmacies, and a drug checker that helps physicians guard against medication interactions. What's particularly interesting about this implementation is that the portal offers consumers access to the EMR, too, as well as letting them establish personal health records, schedule physician visits and access educational materials. Integrating physician and community access may not sound like too much of a feat, but in reality, it's rare even among deep-pocketed urban medical centers, whose efforts in this direction are creeping along. Sometimes, smaller players have the flexibility to get it right the first time.