EHR unleashes clinical and financial success at Geisinger, CEO says

Geisinger Health System CEO Dr. Glenn D. Steele Jr. attributes much of the organization's financial and clinical success to a well-implemented EHR.

"What helps make Geisinger's innovations possible is the integration of the health system's hospitals, 800-member physician group practice, health plan, research center and, of utmost importance, our sophisticated electronic health record," the former University of Chicago and Harvard Medical School surgeon says in an interview with Hospitals & Health Networks. "The unique model of a collaborative culture and our investment in advanced technology contribute to Geisinger's ability to develop programs that improve care and provide increased value."

Steele says that the Danville, Pa.-based integrated delivery network has a policy of rewarding quality of work rather than volume, and of reducing "unjustified" variation in the provision of care. "Our ProvenCare program, a collaboration between Geisinger Clinic and Geisinger Health Plan, is an example of how we do this. ProvenCare relies on evidence-based medicine and our electronic health record to create best-practice bundles of care," Steele explains. The EHR also enables a patient-centered medical home called ProvenHealth Navigator.

Another benefit of the EHR is seen in the area of clinical decision support. "It's all based on data," says Steele. "We 'warehouse' data on individual patients and groups of patients in an electronic repository. This allows us to react to deviations in real time and link care directly to either an individual outcome, or, more legitimately, one for a population. We feed this information back to our clinicians so they can help patients make more informed healthcare decisions."

To see more of the interview:
- check out this piece in Hospitals & Health Networks

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