HIMSS has honored 7 community health organizations since introducing this Davies Award category in 2008.
CHICAGO (June 13, 2011) � For the ultimate in "one-stop shop healthcare," patients of community health organizations benefit from the efficiencies of care coordination among dental, behavioral and social services along with primary healthcare for adults and children.�� Leveraging efficiencies of the electronic health record, one community health organization has been named as a finalist for the 2011 HIMSS Community Health Organization Davies Award, a pre-eminent industry award used to educate the industry on best practices.
The HIMSS Community Health Organization Davies Award Committee selected one finalist in this category among several applicants. As noted in its award application, Hudson River HealthCare (HRHCare), Peekskill, NY, has had an ongoing commitment to improving the quality of care, patient experience and health outcomes for its underserved, uninsured and underinsured patient populations since its founding as the Peekskill Area Ambulatory Health Center in 1975. The health center's 16 primary care sites serve 64,000 patients, with over 275,000 annual visits, representing a diverse, low income population in rural, urban, migrant, homeless and public housing settings.
"Congratulations to Hudson River HealthCare for reaching the finalist stage for this Davies award category that honors organizations providing direct patient care and health services to safety-net underserved and vulnerable populations. With more than 8,000 community health organizations in the United States, winners of the HIMSS Community Health Organization Davies Award are considered as healthcare leaders in care delivery and quality," said Greg Wolverton, chair of the HIMSS Community Health Organization Davies Award Committee, and 2008 Davies winner.Wolverton is CIO at White River Rural Health Center in Little Rock, Ark. Following the site visit, the committee will vote to determine if Hudson River HealthCare will become a 2011 Davies winner, which will be announced in September.
Contact David A. Collins, MHA, CPHQ, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, Director, Healthcare Information Systems, HIMSS, at [email protected], for more information on the award application process. Since guidelines and deadlines vary for each award, visit the HIMSS website at http://www.himss.org/davies for more information.
Background on the HIMSS Davies Awards of Excellence:
The HIMSS Community Health Organization Davies Award of Excellence is designed to:
- Recognize successful EHR implementation and value derived by CHOs serving safety-net underserved and vulnerable populations.
- Reward the effective adoption of technology in practice and leadership, and the successful application of technology to meet the unique needs of community health in innovative ways.
- Provide a venue for CHOs to share model practices, innovative approaches and lessons learned with the entire healthcare community.
The four categories of the HIMSS Davies Awards program are: hospitals and health systems, independent physician practices, public health, and community health organizations.
Each winner has successfully achieved value from electronic health records to improve healthcare delivery.