Being from such a small area like Southern Vermont, I become very proud when I see headlines that say the smallest hospital in the state is also only the second hospital to reach "Stage 6" of electronic medical record adoption. HIMSS analytics devised 8 stages (0-7) of EMR adoption. Stage 6 means that Grace Cottage has physician documentation, a full clinical decision support system, and radiology picture archive and communication system. I interviewed the CEO of Grace Cottage last June for my MSI final project in RMSP, and they were implementing the EMR system that week. It is impressive that such a small hospital was able to reach Stage 6 by October 2012, and is continuing the process. EMRs allow for much better communication and ease of access between offices, and in a rural area, this is critical. The EMR is an important element of the medical home concept, which may by the future of medicine in rural Vermont. As a future practitioner, I am lucky in that my training will consist fully of EMRs, and therefore, I will be prepared to practice anywhere, especially in Southeastern Vermont.
Link to the Original Article
Explanation of the 8 Stages
