KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Cerner Corp. partner for more than 10 years, Aurora Health Care uses Cerner Millennium(R) solutions to unify the hospital's nursing, physician, emergency, intensive care, radiology, pharmacy, imaging, surgery, registration and scheduling departments through the use of electronic health records that track a person's health history and hospital stay.
Through successful healthcare information technology (HIT) implementation, Aurora saw 70 fewer occurrences of urinary tract infections, an achievement that allowed the organization to save approximately $65,000 in related patient care. In addition, before the system was implemented, clerical staff spent about 30 minutes per day typing and copying the surgery schedule and an additional 30 minutes distributing the schedules. With the system in place, the clerical staff has regained that hour, as the schedules are available in real time and delivered electronically.
A not-for-profit Wisconsin healthcare system, Aurora Health Care is dedicated to providing the best possible access, service and health outcomes for the patients and communities it serves. Using Cerner systems, it has driven standardization and information sharing between care delivery sites, enhanced collaboration across care teams, increased care quality and clinician efficiency, and improved compliance as a byproduct of care delivery and documentation.
"We want to ensure that our physicians, nurses and other caregivers have the tools they need to provide the best possible care," said Dr. Nick Turkal, Aurora's senior clinical vice president. "Cerner's technology has proven to be an absolute cornerstone to achieving clinical integration across our complex system."
Aurora Health Care was recently recognized by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices for its patient safety advancements, ranked among the nation's top 10 for number of adult heart transplants and acknowledged as a national leader in quality improvement efforts. Additionally, Aurora Health Care was named one of the "100 most-wired hospitals and health systems" in 2004 and 2005 by Hospitals & Health Networks.
"Aurora's determination to operate as a completely digital network reinforces its reputation as a leader in care and vision," said Trace Devanny, Cerner president. "Working together with Cerner, Aurora has advanced its vision to transition to a seamless digital environment for the network's dedicated team of clinicians. Aurora has experienced great success in saving lives and money."
Aurora Health Care offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin. It encompasses 13 hospitals, more than 100 clinics, 130 community pharmacies, Wisconsin's largest home care agency and a variety of other services providing a complete continuum of healthcare.
Aurora Health Care will exhibit its PowerChart(R), PowerChart Office(R), orders, nursing and pharmacy solutions on Feb. 15 in booth 2813 at the annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference being held at the San Diego Convention Center, Feb. 12-16. Aurora Health Care will also discuss its experience with computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and evidence based nursing.
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