Press Release Hilo Medical Center

Honolulu, Hawaii - Hilo Medical Center has been named a 2015 Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Enterprise Davies Award recipient. Since 1994, the HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence has recognized outstanding achievement of organizations that have utilized health information technology to substantially improve patient outcomes while achieving return on investment. The Davies Awards program promotes electronic health record-enabled improvement in patient outcomes through sharing of case studies and lessons learned across a wide range of efforts, including implementation strategies, workflow design, best practice development and adherence, and patient engagement that have improved both financial and care outcomes.

Hilo Medical Center (HMC) is a part of the East Hawai’i Region of the Hawai’i Health Systems Corporation (HHSC), serving as a safety-net hospital for two critical access hospitals, Hale Ho’ola Hamakua and Ka’u Hospital. The East Hawai’i Region also includes nine outpatient clinics with specialties. HMC is a 276-bed facility with137 acute beds, 20-bed behavioral health facility, and 119-bed, long-term care facility.

“As hospitals struggle with reduced reimbursement, hospital leaders are utilizing technology and data to maximize care delivery efficiency,” said Jonathan French, director of quality and patient safety at HIMSS. “Hilo Medical Center staff members could not make a cell phone call from inside their facility in 2009, yet by leveraging the data generated by health information technology Hilo has saved millions of dollars through more efficient care delivery and revenue cycle management. Health information technology has enabled standardized protocols to reduce hospital acquired infections and reduce the mortality rates of patients admitted with pneumonia. The story of Hilo Medical Center represents a model of health IT-enabled care delivery that can assist struggling small community and safety net hospitals leverage data to survive. The Davies Committee and HIMSS congratulate the team members of Hilo Medical Center on improving the health outcomes of their patient population through the effective use of health IT.”

Hilo Medical Center will be recognized at the 2016 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition, February 29-March 4, 2016 in Las Vegas, NV. Hilo and other peer-reviewed case studies demonstrating how health information technology can be utilized to improve patient safety, care outcomes, and increase cost savings can be found in the HIMSS Value Suite.

Only 39 Davies Enterprise/Organizational Awards have been given since the year 1995. For more information on applying for the HIMSS Davies Awards of Excellence, visit the HIMSS Davies Award website.

Governor Ige will be honoring Hilo Medical Center on October 2nd at 11am in the Governor’s ceremonial room located on the 5th floor of the Hawai‘i State Capitol.

 

Other Hawaii Davies Enterprise Awards

Jul 2012 - Hawai'i Pacific Health - Davies Enterprise/Organizational Award

[Case Study] Case Studies from Hawai‘i’s largest health care provider.

 

Nov 2011 - Kaiser Permanente (National)- Davies Enterprise/Organizational Award

[Case Study] Kaiser Permanente's "Blue Sky Vision" transformed care and service delivery.

 

Jul 2002 - Queens Health Network - Davies Enterprise/Organizational Award

[Case Study] The result is an integrated, interdisciplinary electronic patient record, located at the point of care, that’s used by physicians and other clinicians to enter and retrieve patient data.

 

About Health Information Systems Society (HIMSS)

HIMSS is a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information technology (IT). HIMSS leads efforts to optimize health engagements and care outcomes using information technology. HIMSS produces health IT thought leadership, education, events, market research and media services around the world.

Founded in 1961, HIMSS encompasses more than 61,000 individuals, of which 79% work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations across the globe, plus over 640 corporations and 400 not-for-profit partner organizations, that share this cause. HIMSS, headquartered in Chicago, serves the global health IT community with additional offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia.