Hilo Medical Center of Hilo, Hawaii, has been named a 2015 HIMSS Enterprise Davies Award recipient, recognizing its work in improving patient care and outcomes.

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.

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.

Hilo Medical Center is a part of the East Hawai'i Region of the Hawai'i Health Systems Corporation, 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. Overall, 72 percent of HMC's patients have Medicare or Medicaid insurance.

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"As hospitals struggle with reduced reimbursement, hospital leaders are utilizing technology and data to maximize care delivery efficiency," Jonathan French, director of quality and patient safety at HIMSS, said in a news release. "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."

"We are so humbled and excited to have been chosen as the recipient of the 2015 HIMSS Enterprise Davies Award," added Money S. Atwal, East Hawaii Region chief financial officer and chief information officer, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation at Hilo Medical Center, in a statement. "This award exemplifies the dedication our employees, physicians, board members, and business partners have towards providing the best care for the East Hawaii community. In spite of all the fiscal challenges, we continue to invest in the appropriate technology, optimize hospital operations, and improve clinical outcomes for our patients."

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Hilo Medical Center will be recognized at the 2016 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition, Feb. 29-March 4, 2016, in Las Vegas. 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.

For more information on applying for the HIMSS Davies Awards of Excellence, visit the HIMSS Davies Award website.