Basic HTML Version
Visit
www.gritman.org
to learn about other services at Gritman Medical Center.
AWARDS
FOR
the third year in a row,
Gritman Medical Center has
received the prestigious Je Martin
Award for Excellence, formerly
known as the Gold Award, through
Yellowstone Insurance Exchange.
A team effort
e award recognizes physi-
cians, board members, sta and
volunteers at Gritman Medical
Center. It is based on hospital im-
provement measures and empha-
sizes patient safety and the quality
of care provided to the community.
GRITMAN
Medical Center
was recently recognized as one of
the nation’s Most Wired hospitals,
according to the results of the 2012
Most Wired survey released in the
July issue of
Hospitals & Health
Networks
magazine. Most Wired
hospitals leverage the adoption and
use of health information technol-
ogy (IT) to improve performance
in a number of areas such as patient
care, business processes and facility
operations.
The importance of IT
When people think of hospitals,
they o en picture a busy emergency
room, where doctors and nurses
rush from one patient to the next
to treat injuries and illness. What
is o en overlooked is the role that
IT plays in making sure that the
behind-the-scenes processes run
smoothly. A good IT infrastructure
helps improve patient care by allowing
physicians and nurses to spend more
time at the bedside with their patients.
“I am so proud to be a member of
Gritman,” says Sheree Yockey, Direc-
tor of Risk Management. “I know
that when I walk into our hospital,
our patients and their families are
getting the best care and customer
service available.”
Risk management comprises
activities that identify, evaluate and
reduce the risk of injuries to pa-
tients, visitors and sta , as well as
the risk of loss to the organization.
Much e ort goes into compiling and
submitting data to be considered for
the award, Sheree says.
Kristi Peterson,
Information
Technologist, and Susan
McGovern, RN, in
the Medical Surgical
Unit, use an iPad for
accessing medical
information. Patients at
Gritman can check out
iPads during their stay,
and each patient room
contains a computer
for physicians and
nurses to quickly
access patient medical
records.
“Technology is useless if it doesn’t
result in better patient care,” says
Kane Francetich, Gritman’s Chief In-
formation O cer. “Being recognized
as a Most Wired hospital means that
we use technology to improve clinical
quality and safety, our systems com-
municate with each other, our auto-
mated business systems are accurate,
and our infrastructure and security
meet the highest standards.”
Always moving forward
Over the past year, Gritman up-
graded its computer system to one that
is rated as the best community hospital
system available. Along with the
new system, Gritman installed new
computers in every patient room, up-
graded the hospital’s wireless network
and improved mobile capabilities.
is is the fourth time Gritman
has been recognized as a Most
Wired hospital, having previously
received the honor in 2000, 2001
and 2003. “We were the rst hospital
on the Palouse to be recognized as
Most Wired,” Kane says. “I would
like to think that we helped set the
bar high
for other
hospitals in
the region.”
Tradition of excellence
Earning the award for three
consecutive years is a tremendous
honor. It’s evidence that Gritman is
committed to providing exceptional
healthcare, says Kara Besst, Presi-
dent and CEO of the hospital. “We
are focused on delivering personal-
ized, quality care, and patient
safety continues to be
a top priority.”
connections
w
3
Wired on the Palouse
Gritman honored for patient safety and care