HIMSS Analytics has given Banner Health its Stage 7 Award for 17 of its 23 hospitals, located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. The award recognizes attainment of the highest level on HIMSS' Electronic Medical Records Adoption Model.

Banner Health is one of only 66 facilities in the United States – just 1.2 percent, of the more than 5,000 U.S. hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics Database – to be awarded the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Award, officials note.

[See also: Deaconess Health System reaches Stage 7.]

HIMSS Analytics developed the EMR Adoption Model in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics Database. There are eight stages (0-7) that measure a hospital’s implementation and utilization of IT applications. The final stage, Stage 7, represents an advanced patient record environment. The validation process to confirm a hospital has reached Stage 7 includes a site visit by an executive from HIMSS Analytics and former or current chief information officers to ensure an unbiased evaluation of the Stage 7 environments.

“While achieving HIMSS Stage 7 for 17 of Banner’s 23 hospitals is an important 
organizational achievement, the most important beneficiaries are our patients,” said Banner Health’s executive vice president and chief medical officer, John Hensing, MD. “Our meaningful use of enhanced electronic medical records is integrated into our patient care processes and even targeted to help our clinicians proactively recognize and treat specific and dangerous disorders such as sepsis and delirium."

[See also: UC San Diego Health System earns Stage 7 Award.]

“Operating as ‘one hospital with 23 locations,’ Banner Health exemplifies a strong culture of change, enabling IT to drive process standardization," said John Hoyt, executive vice president of HIMSS Analytics. "This health system includes the first critical access hospitals at this level of EMR sophistication, with five critical access hospitals among the 17 at Stage 7. With more than 90 percent of all medical orders being directly entered into the system by the medical staff, the quality and safety is significantly enhanced for all Banner patients."

Hoyt added that Banner's "world-class simulation center for clinician training and creative tools used to build specific views of patient health data" also support the health system's Stage 7 achievement.