WMC gets high marks for heart care
Westchester Medical Center recently was named one of America”™s 100 best hospitals for cardiac surgery by HealthGrades, an independent health care rating company. It was ranked among the top 10 hospitals in New York for cardiac surgery for the fourth consecutive year.
The advanced-care hospital in Valhalla earlier this year ranked in the top 10 percent nationwide for bariatric surgery outcomes for the sixth consecutive year.
HealthGrades also honored the medical center with its cardiac surgery excellence award and gave it its highest 5-star rating for several cardiovascular services.
The clinical-rating company”™s report found that patients treated at 5-star hospitals have a 73 percent lower risk of mortality and a 63 percent lower risk of complications compared to 1-star-rated hospitals.
Sound Shore Health launches EMR system
Sound Shore Health System recently launched its electronic medical records (EMR) system in partnership with Allscripts, a Chicago-based provider of information technology systems for health care facilities.
The system serves Sound Shore Medical Center and Schaffer Extended Care Center in New Rochelle and Mount Vernon Hospital.
John R. Spicer, Sound Shore Health System president and CEO, in a press release said the new partnership with Allscripts “maximizes patient safety and reduces unnecessary duplication of services. This investment automates many clinical tasks to minimize error and maximizes connection between caregivers, labs, pharmacies, insurers and patients.”
The conversion to electronic recordkeeping qualifies Sound Shore for federal incentive payments under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The system establishes one medical record within the Sound Shore Health System for each patient that will eventually link into a national network for caregivers, making a patient”™s medical records available instantly over the web.
