[Galway, Ireland] HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) Stage 6 hospital Galway Clinic has become the first organisation in UK and Ireland to migrate to Meditech’s newest platform, Expanse.
In total, more than 360 customers have now chosen to implement the new web-based EHR, a Meditech representative told BJ-HC, with nearly 100 of them based outside the US.
A recent KLAS report noted that much of the company’s EHR activity from 2017 involved existing customers making migration decisions.
Formally announcing the new solution at HIMSS18 earlier this year, Meditech President and CEO Howard Messing said the new platform addressed ‘the need for an EHR for the post-Meaningful Use’ era.
Raphael Jaffrezic, Chief Information Officer at the Galway Clinic, told BJ-HC that the hospital went live with Expanse last week, describing the transition process as ‘fairly smooth’.
“We went offline at 10 o’clock on Wednesday night [25 July] and by 3 o’clock the following morning we were live with the new version. There were a couple of minor issues, but nothing that would stop any business from functioning,” the CIO explained.
Implementation of the Expanse platform will now enable them to introduce a patient portal that will allow patients to access their medical records, book and cancel appointments and speak to the professionals in charge of their care.
Jaffrezic said the hospital would commence work on the deployment of the portal within the next two months, expressing an ambition for the tool to become operational at the beginning of next year.
“It’s a very exciting time in health informatics because we really are able to make an improvement at the patient level,” the CIO added.
In a statement, Steve Koretz, Meditech Senior Vice President of Client Services, said:
"The HIMSS Stage 6 distinction proves Galway Clinic is a committed leader in healthcare IT and pledges to provide medical excellence to all their community.
"Their decision to move forward with Expanse further strengthens this commitment."
HIMSS is the parent company of BJ-HC.
