Hartford, Connecticut-based Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center has been achieved Stage 7 on HIMSS' Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model.

Specifically, Saint Francis is being recognized for its work driving collaboration between operational staff, IT experts and technology partners to improve internal interoperability in the service of better patient care.

The 617-bed hospital collaborated with two of its vendors to test workflow and data exchange between the technology systems, HIMSS officials say. Its IT team then worked with desktop, server and virtualization professionals to develop the application package necessary to deploy this functionality to all of the reading workstations in a uniform manner.

The teams also developed an application package that would allow for remote echocardiology reads.

"Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center has implemented advanced capabilities that include capturing discrete data into the EMR from the cardiovascular information system and using RFID technology in the pharmacy medication dispensing process for the operating room," said John H. Daniels, global vice president, healthcare advisory services group, HIMSS Analytics, in a statement.

"They are experiencing some phenomenal revenue cycle benefits thanks to their focused attention on IT-enabled process efficiencies," he added.

HIMSS Analytics developed the eight-stage EMR Adoption Model as a way for hospitals to track IT maturity in comparison to other healthcare organizations nationwide. Just 4.6 percent of hospitals in the U.S. have achieved Stage 7

"Achieving EMRAM Stage 7 validates that we are using our technology to provide safer, more efficient, cost-effective and higher quality care for our patients," said Saint Francis President John F. Rodis, MD. "Our unified care transitions and enhanced communication between healthcare providers will result in better care for our patients."

Saint Francis Hospital will be recognized with its Stage 7 Award at HIMSS17, which takes place Feb. 19-23, 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

This article is part of our ongoing coverage of HIMSS17. Visit Destination HIMSS17 for previews, reporting live from the show floor and after the conference.