Stratis Health and Aging Services of Minnesota Release HIT Toolkit for Nursing Homes

Published Thursday, March 16, 2009

On February 12, 2009, Stratis Health presented the Health Information Technology (HIT) Toolkit for Nursing Homes (http://www.stratishealth.org/HIT_Toolkit_NH) at the Aging Services of Minnesota Institute in Minneapolis. To help Minnesota nursing homes meet the state mandate to have an interoperable electronic health record (EHR) system in place by 2015, Stratis Health developed the toolkit, with funding from Aging Services of Minnesota, and its subsidiaries Alliance Purchasing, and MHHA Service Corporation.

“The HIT Toolkit for Nursing Homes will have a significant impact on the ability of Minnesota nursing homes to use the latest technology to measure and improve the quality of care they provide to their residents,” stated Stratis Health’s President and CEO Jennifer Lundblad.

Using its extensive experience in helping providers adopt HIT and in working with nursing homes on quality improvement and patient safety, Stratis Health developed the HIT Toolkit with tested tools to help nursing homes plan and make the right choices. The toolkit can be used for implementing a comprehensive EHR system, with integrated orders and e-prescribing, full electronic charting, and remote access to other providers. It also can be used for acquiring individual applications, or for overhauling existing systems.

According to a Stratis Health nursing home survey conducted in 2008, only 31.5 percent of Medicare-certified nursing homes in Minnesota indicated they currently have an EHR in place. Although many nursing homes have used HIT for some time to support administrative processes, they have not had an EHR system to help them meet their goals to improve resident safety, quality of care, efficiency, communication, and coordination of care across care settings.

“Aging Services of Minnesota and Stratis Health are committed to improving care for Minnesota’s nursing home residents,” stated Aging Services’ President and CEO Gayle Kvenvold. The HIT Toolkit can help nursing homes select and implement a system that establishes a structure to monitor and reduce pressure ulcers and use of restraints, improve pain management, increase resident satisfaction, and ensure consistent assignment of staff and staff retention.

Stratis Health is a non-profit organization founded in 1971 that leads collaboration and innovation in health care quality and safety, and serves as a trusted expert in facilitating improvement for people and communities.
Stratis Health, 952-854-3306, info@stratishealth.org.

Aging Services of Minnesota (formerly Minnesota Health & Housing Alliance) is Minnesota's largest association of aging services organizations, which are working together to create the future of older adult services through excellence and innovation. Aging Services of Minnesota, 651-645-4545, info@agingservicesmn.org.