Phoenix Health Systems Inc. has been chosen to perform a comprehensive on-site assessment of hospital information systems by the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), the central point of contact for all public health issues in the state. The contract will span 2 years.
Hospital chains, critical access, rural and independent hospitals in the state of Utah are currently outfitted with a variety of information structures. State officials have contracted with Phoenix Health Systems to determine the extent to which these infrastructures can support electronic reporting to UDOH in times of disaster, bioterrorism, and/or epidemic outbreaks. Phoenix will develop an inventory assessment tool to evaluate the IT infrastructure at 5 pilot facilities in terms of their current and planned information technology, clinical information systems, standards, security, and ability to interface with other hospital systems and the UDOH. In addition, Phoenix will determine if these infrastructures can be utilized to support improved patient care outcomes through electronic physician order entry, electronic medical records, integrated longitudinal data repositories, decision support, and other needs and appropriate healthcare informatics. Following completion of the pilot effort, it is anticipated that Phoenix will extend this process to other State hospitals.
"We were impressed with how well Phoenix Health Systems was able to capture our vision and needs. Their response to the RFP was thoughtful, specific, and tailored to our needs and direction. We look forward to working with them in this venture," reported Iona M. Thraen, Division Director of Health Systems Improvement, UDOH.
"Our objective is to conduct thorough and meaningful IT infrastructure assessments in order to effectively assist the State of Utah in ensuring that its hospital information systems are robust and capable of supporting its hospitals' short- and long-term operating objectives," said Ronald L. Gue, PhD, President and CEO of Phoenix Health Systems.
About Phoenix Health Systems
Based in Montgomery Village, Maryland, Phoenix Health Systems is a privately-held healthcare information systems outsourcing and consulting firm that focuses on business and clinical transformation within client organizations. Phoenix has worked successfully with numerous healthcare providers to provide value-driven solutions through information technology outsourcing, strategic planning, systems procurement and implementation, and project management. The firm also provides specialty consulting assistance in areas such as IT strategic planning, systems implementation, HIPAA compliance, e-Health, and IT security.
