February 16, 2018 — California’s Petaluma Health Center (PHC) was recently awarded a 2017 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Davies Community Health Award based on two use cases that demonstrated its efforts to use electronic health record (EHR) technology to improve patient health.
PHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), with over 80 providers committed to maximizing the value of healthcare IT to serve 35,000 patients annually. PHC used the eClinicalWorks EHR to improve clinical outcomes, improving hypertension control among its patients by 9 percentage points, and improving rates of testing and treatment for hepatitis C.
“Petaluma Health Center's mission is to ensure access, and to provide high-quality prevention-focused healthcare for the communities we serve,” said Danielle Oryn, chief medical informatics officer of Petaluma Health Center. “With eClinicalWorks, we can drive decisions, support care management of population health, and improve overall clinical outcomes. We are proud to receive a 2017 HIMSS Community Health Davies Award, which demonstrates our successful use of the EHR technology to improve patient outcomes.”
The prevalence of hypertension has increased significantly over the past two years in Sonoma County. Heart disease and stroke accounted for 25 percent of deaths in Sonoma County (2013) and rates are higher than both state and national levels. PHC made it a priority to decrease heart attacks and strokes in its patient population by improving hypertension control. Working with eClinicalWorks, the care team customized the EHR, to drive decisions and improve the clinical outcomes with individualized care plans.
Petaluma Health Center will be recognized at the HIMSS Awards Gala during HIMSS18, March 5-9 in Las Vegas.
For more information: www.himss.org