HIMSS Analytics awarded Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, with its Stage 7 Award, and 14 of its associated ambulatory clinics the Stage 7 Ambulatory Awards.

The final stage, Stage 7 on HIMSS Analytics EMR Adoption Model 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.

The EMR Ambulatory Adoption Model provides a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for ambulatory facilities owned by hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics Database. These facilities include physician practices, clinics, outpatient centers and specialty clinics.

During the beginning of the third quarter of 2013, 2.2 percent, of the more than 5,400 U.S. hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics Database, received the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Award, and as of the second fiscal quarter of 2013, only 1.23 percent of the more than 20,000 U.S. ambulatory clinics in the HIMSS Analytics Database, received the Stage 7 Ambulatory Award.

[See also: 3 hospitals start new year at Stage 7.]

"We're proud to be among a very small number of U.S. hospitals that have been recognized for developing and managing a top-notch electronic medical records system," said Michael Fisher, president and CEO at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, in a press statement. "I’m grateful to the entire team who contributes to this effort every day, and excited about what this means to patient safety, quality care, research, and ultimately, the health of the children and families we serve."

Cincinnati Children's Hospital, a non-profit organization, is one of the top three recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health, and a research and teaching affiliate of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation.

[See also: Novant ROI 'rock solid' for Stage 7.]

"Cincinnati Children's Hospital demonstrated a solid deployment of acute care as well as ambulatory care EMR in this very highly specialized pediatric care environment," said John P. Hoyt, executive vice president, HIMSS Analytics, in a statement. "Cincinnati Children’s certainly can quiet the critics who say EMR’s cannot be deployed in a sub-specialty environment. This is truly a paperless environment that is now successfully taking advantage of the rules and alerting capability that reinforces best practices."