MultiCare Health System

Monday, April 21, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Todd Kelley (253) 403-1716

(TACOMA) – MultiCare Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Diane Cecchettini, RN, has received the CEO IT Achievement Award for 2008 from Modern Healthcare Magazine and the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS).

Ms. Cecchettini was only one of three CEOs nationally to receive the recognition and the only CEO in Washington State

The award recognizes healthcare CEOs who demonstrate leadership and a commitment to using information technology to advance their organizations’ goals. A five-judge panel consisting of two CEOs chosen by Modern Healthcare and three chief information officers chosen by HIMSS selected Ms. Cecchettini and two others out of 37 nominees.

"Diane’s vision of an ideal patient experience is to create a seamless, easy, valued, and sustainable continuum of health care that enhances the experience of both the patient and the provider," said Florence Chang, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. "Technology is one of the core strategies that MultiCare uses to fulfill that vision, and the investment in those technologies not only changes the way we deliver care but makes health care better, safer, and more convenient for the patients in the communities we serve."

Ten years ago, MultiCare Health System became the first health system in the south Puget Sound to implement an electronic health record (EHR) for patients at its ambulatory clinics in Pierce and south King Counties.

In 2007, MultiCare implemented this leading edge technology at Tacoma General Hospital, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Allenmore Hospital, providing a single, electronic health record for all MultiCare patients, whether they are seen in a clinic or a hospital.

MultiCare is now one of few health systems in the nation to have system-wide electronic health records.

Called MultiCare Connect, the system allows immediate, secure access to a single, comprehensive health record each time a patient visits a MultiCare hospital or doctor.

"A health record reflects a lifetime of health care for a patient, including immunizations, allergies, prescriptions, surgeries, lab reports, x-rays and more," said MultiCare Chief Operating Officer George J. Brown, M.D. "This wealth of immediately accessible, secure information helps our physicians assess patients’ needs in order to provide them with the best possible care."

In addition to the EHR, MultiCare has recently made investments in radiology, imaging, and voice recognition software. With the new Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) a radiologist can read and access images from any computer at any time through a secure web portal. The voice recognition software improves turnaround time of transcribed reports and is another step toward our goal of a film-less radiology system.

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MultiCare is a leading-edge, integrated health organization made up of four hospitals, numerous primary care and urgent care clinics, multi-specialty centers, Hospice and Home Health services, and many other services. A not-for-profit organization based in Tacoma, Washington since 1882, MultiCare has grown over the years in response to community needs. Today we are the area's largest provider of health care services, serving patients at 93 locations in Pierce, South King, Kitsap, and Thurston counties.