All 43 public hospitals under Hong Kong Hospital Authority have been validated for Stage 7 of the HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model. 

The EMRAM is a globally validated model that measures an organisation's maturity in the use of EMR technology.

WHY IT MATTERS

After achieving Stage 6 of the EMRAM, HA set its sights on getting validated for the highest EMRAM stage in line with its smart hospital transformation strategy. 

"The HA had previous experience achieving Stage 6 validation, but Stage 7 represented a significant step up in the level of requirements and scrutiny," admitted Dr Ngai Tseung Cheung, head of Information Technology and Health Informatics at HA. 

Working with the HIMSS team, HA developed a comprehensive project plan for this endeavour.

"The preparation phase was intensive, with hundreds of meetings and regular checkpoint sessions with HIMSS. This allowed us to refine our approach and ensure we were addressing all the necessary criteria," said Dr Cheung.

The plan, HA shared, involved mobilising clinical and business leaders across all its hospitals, which was crucial in ensuring alignment from all key stakeholders. As advised by HIMSS, it also had to scale back some initiatives, such as AI projects, so it could double down on meeting specific requirements for the Stage 7 validation. 

One of those key projects was the upgrade of the clinical management system (CMS), which has been in operation since 1994. Used by over 70,000 staff, the system handles about 43 million transactions daily. 

HA's fourth-generation CMS, integrated across all 43 public hospitals, 74 general outpatient clinics, and 49 specialist clinics, features paperless operations, clinical procedure support, and closed-loop clinical management. 

It has several clinical modules, including: 

• IPMOE, a closed-loop computerised system for prescribing, dispensing, and administering drugs for inpatients; 

• the Result Screening app which facilitates investigation reports screening and follow-up;

• e-Vital, which supports accurate data capture; 

• the digital assistant e-Scribe for automating clinical workflow; and 

• the Smart ASP which uses data analytics to monitor prescriptions and evaluate antibiotic use, etc.

The mobile patient app HA Go is another key project. The smartphone app integrates various health services, including appointment scheduling, medication management, and telehealth consultations. 

During the EMRAM assessment, HIMSS validators commended HA for actively promoting patients' uptake of this app. HA Go has over five million registered users since its launch in 2019.

Following the assessment, HA plans to further enhance the clinical capabilities of its CMS and expand the features of the HA Go app. 

"Efforts will be directed towards developing and supporting initiatives for smart hospitals, improving patient and staff experiences through more efficient and effective workflows, leveraging automation and integration technologies for clinical care, hospital support, and management processes," Dr Cheung mentioned. 

Over the past two years, HA has deployed dozens of smart hospital solutions across its network. These include a product suite consisting of smart bed panels, electronic vital capture, smart kiosks, and integration to HA Go has helped reduce wait times and facilitated smoother hospital workflows. AI and data analytics have also been implemented to enhance disease diagnosis accuracy and safety, including AI-assisted radiology diagnostics and clinical prediction.

THE LARGER TREND

Early this year, Princ Hospital Suvarnabhumi in Thailand was also validated for Stage 7 of the HIMSS EMRAM. In addition, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in South Korea and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou in Taiwan were revalidated for this stage over the past 12 months.

ON THE RECORD

"HA's successful EMRAM validation is a significant milestone that underscores the remarkable progress in our digital transformation journey over the past decades. Achieving the Stage 7 EMRAM recognition from HIMSS validates HA's continuous efforts to prioritise patient-centred care and operational efficiency at the highest level. This milestone reflects the unwavering support and collaboration of all HA healthcare professionals and staff, who have worked tirelessly to drive excellence and maintain the highest standards in healthcare IT to meet the unique needs of the Hong Kong population," said Dr Cheung.