Today, Mackenzie Health was named a 2019 recipient of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence. This award recognizes Mackenzie Health for thoughtful application of health information and technology to substantially improve clinical care delivery, patient outcomes and population health. The Davies Awards program promotes HIMSS vision of better health through information and technology by recognizing and sharing use cases, model practices, and lessons learned on how to effectively leverage information and technology to improve the outcomes of patients.
“Our approach to digital health, including our electronic medical record, has helped patients access care, recover faster, and has made a meaningful impact in patient lives at a time when they need us most,” says Altaf Stationwala, President and CEO, Mackenzie Health. “We’re proud to receive this distinguished award from HIMSS recognizing these efforts and improved patient care.”
For the first time, HIMSS has only used evidence of achieving significant clinical outcomes among health organizations that have achieved Stage 7 validation on one of HIMSS Analytics Maturity Models as a prerequisite to apply for the Davies Award of Excellence. Mackenzie Health showed significantly improved clinical outcomes after achieving EMRAM Stage 7 in October 2018.
HIMSS evaluated Mackenzie Health on three clinical case studies that resulted in improved patient care:
1) Stroke patients are treated in half the time.
During a stroke, 1.9 million brain cells die every minute. Every second matters, making all the difference in a patient’s recovery. The clinical team reviewed the electronic workflows and protocols which allowed them to identify delays and expedite key areas of the patient journey. Now, the District Stroke Program at Mackenzie Health has improved patient recovery, including 50 per cent faster administration of life-saving medication.
Mackenzie Health is the only hospital in York Region to provide the clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) which breaks apart the clot to help restore blood flow to the brain. This is the first phase of trying to reduce the damage of a stroke. Patients may improve or additionally undergo Endovascular Therapy (EVT) to remove the clot. In either case, speed is of the essence.
In 2016, Mackenzie Health’s median time from when the patient arrived at the hospital to when tPA was administered was 53.5 minutes. Now in 2019, it’s just 27 minutes – three minutes faster than the provincial target of 30 minutes. Earlier treatment of patients experiencing a stroke has also contributed to their going home sooner with less disability.
2) Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are discharged home sooner.
COPD affects 750,000 Canadians and is a progressive lung disease that blocks airflow and interferes with normal breathing. Patients with this condition often have high hospital needs and are admitted through the emergency department.
To streamline care, Mackenzie Health’s clinical teams developed a COPD tool embedded within its electronic medical record to standardize care for patients based on best practices and synchronize workflows for care teams aided by electronic prompts and digital documentation. The COPD tool has led to improved clinical patient outcomes through earlier treatment and shortened the length of hospital stay by more than two days for these patients and allowed the hospital to care for more patients with the same resources.
“Our clinical teams provide essential patient care often under urgent circumstances,” says Mary-Agnes Wilson, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Executive, Mackenzie Health. “Being able to access real-time data helps us monitor, plan and implement clinical care improvements that have led to better recovery and improved patient outcomes. We’re proud to receive HIMSS’ recognition of these clinical improvements and our dedication to exceptional patient care.”
3) Reduced hospital acquired infections.
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a type of bacteria that can cause severe diarrheal illness and is associated with prolonged hospital stay, recurrent infection, serious complications or even death in some cases.
With 38,000 instances reported across Canada yearly, Mackenzie Health used a multi-disciplinary team approach to decrease hospital acquired C. difficile. The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) and the Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team worked collaboratively and leveraged information technology tools to optimize workflows. These approaches resulted in decreased antibiotic usage, reduced time to isolation and improved environmental cleaning. Since implementation of these workflows in the electronic medical record in 2017, Mackenzie Health has decreased antimicrobial usage by 22 per cent and decreased hospital-acquired C. difficile infections by 47 per cent.
“Our findings clearly demonstrate that health care innovation and improved patient care, recovery and experience go hand in hand,” says Richard Tam, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Mackenzie Health. “We see the tremendous opportunity to continue exploring ways to maximize clinical impact and create positive change in a patient’s health care journey. We’re proud to receive this distinguished award from HIMSS recognizing these efforts to significantly improve clinical outcomes through health IT.”
“Mackenzie Health has identified digital health strategies to make workflows more efficient and safe while getting their patients to the right care at the right time,” said Jonathan French, CPHIMS, SHIMSS, senior director of quality and value based care with HIMSS. “As result, patients are discharged from their hospital visit with better long term outcomes and quality of life. For this and all their recent achievements, HIMSS is proud to recognize Mackenzie Health with the Davies Enterprise Award.”
Mackenzie Health became the first Canadian acute-care hospital with an emergency department and intensive care unit to receive HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7 certification October 30, 2018, recognizing us for safe, quality and innovative care. It launched its electronic medical record in July 2017.
About Mackenzie Health
Mackenzie Health is a dynamic regional health care provider which includes the existing Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and the future Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital, as well as a comprehensive network of community-based services. In March 2017, the organization received its second consecutive award of Accreditation with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada for its commitment to safety and quality patient care. This is the highest rating a Canadian health care provider can receive. Guided by a vision to create a world-class health experience, Mackenzie Health has an unrelenting focus on the patient and is dedicated to patient needs now and in the future. With over 500,000 residents in Southwest York Region, Mackenzie Health is proud to serve one of the fastest growing and most diverse communities in Canada. For more information, please visit mackenziehealth.ca