Geisinger Health System was recently named a 2007 Computerworld Honors Laureate, an honor that recognizes Geisinger?s innovations in using information technology in healthcare. The award was accepted on behalf of Geisinger by chief innovation and technology officer, Ronald A. Paulus, MD.
Nominated for the award by IBM, Geisinger submitted a case study developed by Sandra Buckley on the use of its prototype Clinical Decision Intelligence System (CDIS) to drive quality improvements in the care of diabetic patients.
Geisinger and IBM are developing the CDIS, which leverages the health system?s wealth of clinical data derived from its decade- long use of one of the industry?s most advanced electronic health record systems.
The CDIS is a large digital warehouse that allows Geisinger to measure clinical trends, identify gaps in care, derive new clinical knowledge and gives physicians, researchers, clinical teams and ultimately patients, secure and confidential access to large amounts of clinical information.
The CDIS prototype was involved in reshaping care for adults with Type 1 and 2 diabetes with the collaborative leadership of Geisinger?s Community Practice service line and Clinical Effectiveness and Epic? information technology departments. Since implementation of that program, the number of diabetic patients receiving important care benchmarks such as flu vaccinations increased significantly.
Geisinger Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Clinical Enterprise Joanne Wade, Dr. Paulus and Geisinger Editorial Office Director Sandra Buckley accepted the award in early June at the 19th Annual Laureates Medal Ceremony & Gala Awards in Washington, D.C. Computerworld laureates were selected from organizations across the globe and included only five healthcare winners from the United States.
?It is an honor to represent Geisinger, which is committed to providing patients with diabetes the right care, at the right time, every time,? Paulus said. ?We sincerely appreciate Computerworld?s recognition of continued efforts to strive for perfection in everything that we do.?
Paulus is responsible for developing new models of care for Geisinger and also oversees the commercialization of new technologies and approaches that transform clinical processes, including the CDIS. Prior to joining Geisinger, Paulus was Chief Healthcare Officer for Quovadx, Inc., a software and services company with more than 450 employees and 10,000 customers worldwide