Notice of Non‑Discrimination and Notification of Rights Under Title VI
EMR System Launch on Oct. 1
Posted August 19, 2014
Starting October 1st Hale Makua Kahului, Hale Makua Wailuku, and Adult Day Health by Hale Makua will be putting into effect a NEW electronic medical record (EMR) system. This means that beginning October 1st, we will not be using a paper chart or medical record – all resident and client information will be in the EMR software.
In 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law, making Electronic Health Records (EHR) federally mandated for hospitals and private physician practices by 2014. Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and hospitals as they adopt, implement, upgrade or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology; however this does not include nursing homes or home health care agencies.
The transition to electronic records underpins many of the goals set out in the Affordable Care Act of 2010, such as curbing hospital readmissions and encouraging the development of Accountable Care Organizations, groups of doctors, hospitals, and other professionals who coordinate care for Medicare patients and get paid more for keeping their patients well.
We need to move in the same direction as hospitals and physicians in order to provide better continuity of care with other healthcare providers in our community; translating to better patient outcomes, safety and quality of care for individuals on Maui. The organization aims to achieve integration with the EHR systems of major healthcare providers, such as Maui Memorial Medical Center and Kula Hospital; and enable physicians to have remote access to the electronic record system, enabling them to respond quickly and to sign orders remotely.
HMHS implementation of an EMR system will improve overall quality of patient care by allowing the organization to document patient information more efficiently and effectively while allowing ease of access to primary care physicians and other health care providers involved in patient care. The EMR will streamline communication and improve continuity of care for patients who utilize our long-term care, home health, adult day health, and rehab programs. With the EMR each program can readily and easily access all of the patient’s health information in real-time.
To-date we've raised $37,575 from individual donations and grants. We are very grateful to First Hawaiian Bank Foundation for its $25,000 grant, and Alexander & Baldwin Foundation and the Bank of Hawaii Mike Lyons Award for their $5,000 contributions.