Island Hospital And Engage Complete MEDITECH Expanse EHR Implementation

Anacortes, Wash /PRNewswire/ - Island Hospital in Anacortes, WA successfully completed one of the first implementations of the new MEDITECH Expanse electronic health record (EHR) platform in the country on May 1, 2018.  MEDITECH Expanse is a unified EHR for hospitals and physician clinics which provides seamless patient records across the health system.

Island Hospital is a long-time MEDITECH customer with extensive experience and understanding of the system's complexities.  The highly skilled I.T. team lead by Tom Bluhm, I.S. Director, reviewed all the best EHR options available to Island Hospital prior to recommending MEDITECH Expanse to the I.T. steering committee.  Their decision was driven primarily by the new unified platform and its web-based clinical views for physicians and other care givers.  Dr. John Mathis, Chief Medical Information Officer at Island Hospital, pointed out how clinicians can more efficiently access vital clinical information needed to care for their patients.

One of the key success factors of the EHR implementation for Island Hospital was choosing a MEDITECH consulting firm with whom to partner.  It was very important that the firm fit the needs and culture at Island Hospital and achieve the committee's vision.  Following an exhaustive search of the six top MEDITECH consultants, Engage was selected as their first choice.

Engage, headquartered in Spokane, WA, has over 200 employees with MEDITECH expertise. Their experience, flexibility and staff made them the right choice for Island Hospital.  The role of Engage was to provide project management plus clinical and financial MEDITECH Expanse expert guidance for all aspects of the implementation.

The Island Hospital team had a comprehensive plan that guided this year-long initiative.  Over 36 employees who were hospital subject matter experts, worked tirelessly to make the complex project a success.  The Engage project manager, Paul Blake shared, "We have not seen such a dedicated team that can execute so well."

Engage helped simplify the challenges and made the complexities manageable for the hospital staff by providing expert guidance and resources.  The ability of Engage to provide experts at a moment's notice in every area related to the MEDITECH system, was fundamental to the overall success of the EHR implementation.

Engage also provided training and support for Island Hospital, adding 19 expert analysts to the team as the go-live date approached.  This ensured all the physicians and hospital staff members were thoroughly trained and supported over the critical go-live period.

Tom Bluhm, I.S. Director for Island Hospital shared, "We could not have accomplished this without the Engage team — it's been an incredible partnership."

Anne Ijams, Island Ambulatory Analyst said, "With Engage, it's like we hit the consultant lottery!"

Murray Laidley, EMR Project Manager said, "From my perspective, the BEST decision Island Hospital made was the selection of Engage as our partner."

"The new Meditech 6.16 EMR is a major investment for Island Hospital that we took on very seriously. We devoted literally thousands of hours to choose, develop and implement our new EMR and our selection of Engage proved to be a great decision. We not only have an outstanding medical-record system but, more importantly, employees who are confidently utilizing this state-of-the-art technology to improve our quality-of-care and the experience for our patients," said Island Hospital CEO Vince Oliver.  

Engage would like to congratulate Island Hospital on their successful implementation of MEDITECH Expanse.  Their visionary leadership that empowered the entire organization, the dedication of the staff and the patience and expertise of Tom Bluhm and his team were the foundation for this well-executed project.  We sincerely thank everyone in the organization for partnering with Engage.

For more information about Engage's MEDITECH EHR services, please visit www.rapidexpanse.com .

About Engage
Engage provides complete IT solutions for hospitals such as: EHR Hosting & Cloud Backup, Implementation, 24x7 Service Desk, and full MEDITECH support. As a premier MEDITECH collaborative solutions provider and READY-Certified partner, Engage can help their clients achieve the best EHR possible and provides them with the peace of mind and freedom needed to focus on the business of providing the best care for their patients. Call (509) 232-8301 or visit www.rapidexpanse.com for more information.

About Island Hospital
West Skagit County, North Whidbey, and the San Juan Island residents have relied on Island Hospital for their healthcare needs since 1962. Staffed by nearly 200 healthcare providers, Island Hospital's quality and range of services belies its size. With 43 beds, Island is the state's smallest hospital providing Level III trauma care. Other services include cancer care, diagnostic imaging, in- and out-patient surgery, birth center, acute/critical care, respiratory care, sleep medicine, advanced wound care/hyperbaric medicine and more. Island also operates five primary-care and six specialty clinics, including one that specializes in headache pain. Call (360) 299-1300 or visit www.islandhospital.org for information.