'The Business of Health Care Report'

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I’m Doug Hawthorne, CEO of Texas Health Resources, with “The Business of Health Care Report.”

Texas Health Resources and other health care providers frequently share best practices with the common goal of improving the care we provide to the communities we serve. As a national leader in the development and deployment of the electronic health record, Texas Health is sharing its experience as a pioneer in the health information technology arena.

We recently launched Texas Health Advisory Services, an arm of our Innovative Technology Solutions division, to help manage consulting services we provide to other systems. Texas Health Advisory Services will work with other health systems from the perspective of a peer organization travelling on the same journey.

Since 2006, we’ve invested more than $200 million in the electronic health record and implemented it at 13 Texas Health hospitals. About 90 percent of the physicians who practice in our hospitals have adopted computerized physician order entry, a key component of the electronic health record. Computerized physician order entry allows physicians to electronically enter instructions for treatment. The physician’s orders can then be accessed by other clinicians as well as the pharmacy, lab, or radiology department responsible for filling the order.

Using health information technology improves coordination among caregivers and the timeliness of information. It also helps improve quality and patient safety.

We hope our sharing of best practices will benefit patients across the nation.

For our faith-based family of hospitals — Texas Health Presbyterian, Texas Health Harris Methodist and Texas Health Arlington Memorial — I’m Doug Hawthorne.