Children's National Health System wins 2017 HIMSS Enterprise Davies Award

WASHINGTON - Children’s National Health System received the 2017 HIMSS Enterprise Davies Award for outstanding achievement in improving the lives of children through the use of health information technology.  Since 1994, the HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence has recognized outstanding achievement of organizations that have utilized health information technology to significantly improve patient outcomes while also achieving a return on investment.

The Davies Awards program promotes electronic health record-enabled  (EHR) improvement in patient outcomes through sharing of case studies and lessons learned across a wide range of efforts, including implementation strategies, workflow design, best practice development, and patient engagement that have improved both financial and care outcomes.

“We are so honored to receive this important recognition that represents over 10 years of hard work from hundreds of staff members here at Children’s National,” said Brian Jacobs, M.D., VP Chief Medical Information Officer and Chief Information Officer. “Our investments in people, processes, technology and innovation are making a remarkable difference in the quality of care that we are able to provide to children and their families. We’re proud of the accolade because it lets us know that we’re building up our technology services to support the important research that we do and the education that we provide to the next generation of health care providers.”

Children’s National received recognition from HIMSS based on three case studies that demonstrate how information technology is being used to improve patient care and reduce costs.

“Children’s National Health System has demonstrated excellence in health IT through dedication to various care initiatives, such as innovative use-based quality boards, the implementation of CT scan decision support rules into their EHR, and much more,” said Jonathan French, CPHIMS, senior director, quality and patient safety, and director, Davies Award of Excellence Program, HIMSS. “HIMSS congratulates Children’s National Health System on being selected as a 2017 HIMSS Enterprise Davies Award recipient.”

The case studies presented include:

• Decreasing use of CT scans by 44 percent - Children’s National utilized the electronic health record (EHR) with targeted decision support to help prescribers determine if a CT scan was necessary.  This use of health IT helped to reduce the rate of CT scan utilization by 44 percent – saving children from unnecessary radiation and providing first year cost savings of more than $875,000.
• Innovative Unit-based quality boards - Quality boards provide healthcare teams and families with real-time quality and safety information.  The boards have improved medication reconciliation by 13%, reduced the time to patient consent by 49%, while reducing duration of urinary catheters by 11%.&
• Improved Clinician Documentation - As part of the ambulatory electronic health record initiative, Children’s National minimized expedited access to physician notes and significantly reduced transcription costs.  Notes are now immediately available to all care providers, resulting in improved care and outcomes for patients.

Children’s National will be recognized at the HIMSS18 Awards Gala at Wynn Hotel Las Vegas on Thursday, March 8, 2018.

Visit the HIMSS website to listen to the Children’s National Health System Case Studies.

Contact: Debbie Asrate | [email protected] | (202) 476-6728

About HIMSS North America

HIMSS North America, a business unit within HIMSS, positively transforms health and healthcare through the best use of information technology in the United States and Canada. As a cause-based non-profit, HIMSS North America provides thought leadership, community building, professional development, public policy, and events. HIMSS North America represents 68,000 individual members, 630 corporate members, and over 450 non-profit organizations. Thousands of volunteers work through HIMSS to leverage the potential of digital health to improve both the health status of populations, as well as the quality, cost-effectiveness, access, and value of healthcare. Major initiatives within HIMSS North America include the HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition, National Health IT Week, HIMSS Innovation Center, HIMSS Interoperability Showcases™, HIMSS Health IT Value Suite, ConCert by HIMSS™, HIMSS Professional Communities and HIMSS Chapters.

About Children's National Health System

Children’s National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has been serving the nation’s children since 1870. Children’s National is #1 for babies and ranked in every specialty evaluated by U.S. News & World Report including placement in the top 10 for: Cancer (#7), Neurology and Neurosurgery (#9) Orthopaedics (#9) and Nephrology (#10). Children’s National has been designated two times as a Magnet^® hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers. Home to the Children’s Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National is one of the nation’s top NIH-funded pediatric institutions. Children’s National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels. For more information, visit ChildrensNational.org, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.