Rural Louisiana Hospital awarded $1.2 million in funds with Healthland ONC-ATCB-certified EHR
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Healthland, America's market leader of healthcare information technology solutions for rural hospitals, today announced that its client, East Carroll Parish Hospital, has received its initial Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) adoption incentive payment. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, East Carroll Parish Hospital received $1.2 million in stimulus funds. Based in Lake Providence, Louisiana, East Carroll Parish operates a 23-bed acute care hospital and two rural health clinics.
“As we looked to select an EHR provider, timing was critical,” said Ladonna Englerth, East Carroll Parish Hospital Administrator. “We were not part of a grant program and received no state or federal dollars for our EHR solution, so the ability to obtain stimulus funds quickly was absolutely crucial for us. Healthland has been instrumental in this process and helped us take all the necessary measures to position the hospital for achieving Meaningful Use and the receipt of EHR Adoption incentive payments.”
East Carroll Parish Hospital began its search for an EHR solution in October 2009 after ARRA was passed. To prepare for the upcoming federal mandates, hospital officials created a cross-departmental team to review technology providers. Key criteria for their new EHR solution included:
- Ease of use, to foster clinician adoption
- A rural focus
- One-patient-record for the hospital and rural clinics
The team at East Carroll Parish faced several challenges prior to implementing the Healthland EHR. The hospital was strictly a paper-based operation with limited technology. Thus, the facility was starting from square one. East Carroll Parish officials contacted other hospitals in the area for vendor recommendations and attended a vendor fair in Central Louisiana to learn more about EHR technology providers.
“Our EHR team narrowed the search down to three technology providers after talking with our peers and researching certified solutions,” said Englerth. “We selected the Healthland EHR because it met all of our criteria. The implementation process went very quickly after that point. Within six months we were live with many Healthland applications.”
The Meaningful Use-certified, Healthland Inpatient EHR provides one patient chart across the continuum of care including the hospital, clinic, home health and long-term care facility. The central repository of patient data is easily accessible to all healthcare providers and improves the quality of care, patient safety and operational efficiencies.
“At Healthland, we deliver technology that enables rural hospitals to provide the full spectrum of healthcare to their communities,” said Angie Franks, Healthland president and CEO. “Whether they are replacing an existing health information system or starting from scratch, we partner with our clients in their journey to meet Meaningful Use requirements and enable them to improve patient care in their communities. We understand how challenging it can be for rural hospitals to find the resources needed to implement an EHR, so we are ready to do what it takes to help them meet the federal mandates quickly and help them secure stimulus funds.”
East Carroll Parish Hospital has relied on Healthland to take the lead on its EHR implementation schedule and found its phased approach has been effective. They have already experienced a dramatic increase in IT literacy among hospital personnel. “As a rural hospital, we often have to refer patients to larger hospitals for specialized care,” concluded Englerth. “It becomes even more important to have all patient data in one central location that can be accessed and shared among multiple healthcare providers to improve patient care and safety. Healthland is enabling us to do that, and that ability alone is invaluable to our community.”
About Healthland:
Healthland is America’s largest provider of fully integrated solutions to rural community and critical access hospitals, serving more than 500 clients across the country. Software and services from Healthland, including its electronic health record (EHR) solution, empower community hospitals to deliver the best possible healthcare by providing a central repository of patient information in all care settings, be it a hospital, clinic or extended care facility.
With 30 years of experience in the rural healthcare market, Healthland solutions are uniquely suited to the size and needs of rural hospitals, enabling them to focus on what they do best – care for neighbors, family and friends. Founded in Glenwood, Minn., population 2,600, Healthland is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., with regional offices in Glenwood, Minn., Louisville, Ky. and Waco, Texas. More information is available at: http://www.healthland.com.
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Healthland
Tracey Schroeder
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612-787-3125
or
Jocelyn Tober
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612-787-3126
KEYWORDS: United States North America Louisiana Minnesota
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Technology Data Management Software Practice Management Health Hospitals Managed Care
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