The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has named Fremont Family Care a 2014 HIMSS Ambulatory Davies Award recipient. The award recognizes facilities that successfully implement electronic health record (EHR) technology to improve ambulatory care outcomes for their patients.
Based in Fremont, Neb, Fremont Family Care employs four full-time family practice physicians, one physician assistant, and one nurse practitioner. The practice is part of Fremont Health Clinics, which is a wholly owned 501(c)3 subsidiary of Fremont Health.
“One of the great challenges with implementing an EHR and the resulting disruptive changes in clinical workflow is creating a cultural change where providers understand the value to them and their patients in having access to best practice guidance and real time data,” said Jonathan French, director of quality and patient safety at HIMSS. “Fremont Family Care leveraged the data generated by information technology to demonstrate to providers that adherence to EHR-enabled best practice protocols resulted in better care. Care outcomes data is not only shared practice-wide, but is also incentivized through a bonus system based on improved quality outcomes.”
Since implementing the technology in October 2010, the facility has made a number of key improvements, including lowering hospital readmissions for patients with pneumonia and significantly increasing the number of diabetic patients who keep their HgbA1c under control.
“Fremont Family Care is excited to receive this prestigious award demonstrating outstanding achievement in utilization of health information technology to improve patient outcomes,” said Beth Belmont, director of primary care clinics at Fremont Family Care. “We look forward to continuing to utilize our electronic medical record to continuously improve the quality of care we deliver to our patient population.”
