Frederick Memorial Healthcare System

Frederick Memorial Healthcare System (FMH) in Western Maryland consists of a hospital, cancer treatment center, ambulatory services and a home health hospice organization. As a patient transfers from the emergency room to an in-patient setting to home care, practitioners need access to up-to-the-minute data to make sure patients are getting the quality care they need.

However, home healthcare providers recorded data with pen and paper, which didn't allow for continuity or communication with other departments. To address this issue, the IS team deployed Panasonic Toughbook® T Series with Verizon Wireless mobile broadband for all home healthcare services. David Quirke, VP, CIO explains, "You have to focus on a solution that gives you a solid hardware platform, a reliable connectivity to your home health agency... and the solution with Panasonic and Verizon Wireless, for us, was that answer."

The investment has paid off. FMH was recently awarded with a HIMSS stage 6 for EMR adoption. That puts it in the top 1% of hospitals for electronic medical record adoption nationwide, and most importantly, its patients receive better, more consistent care.