Dubai Heath Authority felicitates hospitals in the emirate that have implemented an electronic and paperless systems

Dubai, United Arab Emirates,  December 17, 2014: Three  hospitals in Dubai  that have implemented  best practices in electronic  implementation of medical records have been awarded at a ceremony that was held today at Ritz Carlton, DIFC.

The award ceremony is part of the activities of the Integrated Healthcare Congress that is organized by the DHA and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

The Congress was inaugurated by His Excellency Engineer Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority.

Al Maidoor highlighted the importance of electronic medical records in the health sector and said: “ Electronic medical records is the way forward and much- needed for the health sector globally. At the DHA, implementing total IT solutions is in line with the Dubai Smart Government Strategy and the Dubai Health Strategy and EMR forms an important component of our overall smart initiatives. We will also implement other aspects of total IT solutions in the healthcare setting such as Hospital Information Systems which help enhance efficiencies, promote evidence-based research and help further improve patient outcomes.”

He added that the implementation of smart health initiatives is of vital importance for the development of the health sector.

EMR forms an important part of the DHA’s overall smart solutions plan. DHA and HIMSS began the journey of benchmarking hospitals in Dubai as per the (Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model ) EMRAM model in 2011 and so far, there has been a significant improvement in the level of electronic integration adopted by all hospitals.

All hospitals are judged on the basis on their EMRAM score.  EMRAM is accepted today world-wide as an international benchmark to stage hospital’s electronic efforts. The model uses a 0-7 stage scale to rate hospitals based on the extent to which they have adopted a paperless, digital system. Stage 7 means the hospital is a paperless and digital hospital.

The award was given for three categories: The award for a hospital that has achieved the highest EMRAM score was given to Canadian Hospital.  The award for the hospital that has dramatically improved its Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) score compared to the previous year (i.e. highest jumper) was given to Iranian Hospital and Mr Kailash Kumar, Director of IT at Mediclinic was presented with the award for CEO of the organization that has been the fastest to comply with EMRAM.

HiMSS also presented a certificate of recognition to the Dubai Health Authority, for being the first government entity to implement the EMRAM survey for private and public sector hospitals in Dubai to gauge their electronic efficiencies.

Jeremy Bonfini, Executive Vice President, Global Services at HiMSS said: “ We are excited to see the improvement of  the EMRAM score among Dubai hospitals. EMRAM is a recognized benchmark and as planning tool and the better the hospitals fare in terms of the EMRAM score the easier it will be for complete integration of electronic medical records for the health sector in Dubai.”

Dr. Mohammad Al Redha, director of health data and information analysis department  at the DHA stated that the adoption of the HIMSS EMRAM plays a beneficial role in Dubai's Smart Government and Smart City plans. “Dubai is keen to offer smart healthcare services to consumers, therefore we need to a test these services against international automation benchmarks. The EMRAM is a global benchmark that aligns not only with the Dubai's domestic mandate to be smart and paper-free city, but also with its global ambitions. We are pleased to see the increase in the number of hospitals that are on track with their automation plans towards a paper-less environment.”

He added that the DHA provides complete support to all hospitals that need any kind of assistance in their mission to move towards a paperless environment.