Research and Projects: AHRQ THQIT and SRD Portfolio

Kentucky

Connecting Healthcare in Central Appalachia

Description:  Implements and trains staff on the use of an EMR system in a rural integrated health care delivery system in an integrated rural healthcare delivery system serving approximately 20 counties throughout Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia.

Abstract:  DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc., is an integrated rural health care delivery system serving approximately 20 counties throughout eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. With hospitals, clinics, home health agencies, and home care stores, the rural location and wide range of services offered by this system require an intense focus on building connectivity via technology. With this proposal, the various facilities that make up the ARM system will launch the implementation of a major component of its clinical information initiative. The implementation of the initial stages of electronic medical records will increase the timeliness and accuracy of care provided to patients, improve workflow throughout the system and across the continuum of care, and ultimately, improve the overall quality of care provided to patients. The rollout of ARH's electronic medical records will begin in the system's Whitesburg ARM Hospital and Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center locations. Funding requested with this proposal will provide essential hardware components to initiate this kick-off, training for project core team members and hospital medical records staff, and the personnel costs associated with the adaptation of the electronic medical records system to accommodate ARH's needs and the standardization of forms to complement the system.

Year 1 Funding:  $500,000

Estimated Total Funding:  $1.5 million

Principal Investigator:  Polly Bentley

Applicant Institution:  Appalachian Regional Health

City/Town:  Hazard, Kentucky

State:  Kentucky

Grant Number:  UC1 HS15182

Category:  Implementation Grants (THQIT)

Thesaurus Terms:  automated medical record system, health care quality, rural area, computer assisted patient care, cooperative study, interdisciplinary collaboration, patient safety /medical error, behavioral /social science research tag, health services research tag

Project Start Date:  Sep 30, 2004

Project End Date:  Aug 31, 2007