Ohio provider first double winner of HIMSS Davies Award

The Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) is the first two-time winner of the HIMSS Davies Award. Since 1994, the HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence has recognized outstanding achievement of organizations that have utilized health IT to substantially improve patient outcomes while achieving return on investment. It also promotes EHR-enabled improvement in patient outcomes through sharing of case studies and lessons learned across a wide range of efforts. 

OSUWMC first won Davies Award Recognition in 2001. The facility serves all patients and populations, with the uninsured and Medicaid population comprising approximately 25 percent of the organization’s patient mix. OSUWMC has a staff of approximately 16,000, with over 1,500 physicians, 900 fellows/residents and 500 mid-level providers.

OSUWMC has launched a clinical data mart designed to monitor the use of anti-microbial medication. Through the utilization of policies developed as result of analysis of data from the data mart, it significantly reduced the use of IV ciprofloxacin and a corresponding reduction of C. difficile infection rates. Using health maintenance alerts and standardized care, OSUWMC has significantly improved chronic disease management, including a 5 percent increase in the number of diabetic patients with HgbA1c under control.

In addition, the OSUWMC IT department implemented a facility charge calculator within the EMR to more accurately code levels of service based on chart documentation in the emergency department. With the implementation of the charge calculator, OSUWMC has realized approximately $50 million in gross revenue per year from charges that would have been otherwise missed under the old system.