Company profile
NVRH serves Vermont’s Northeast region. The comprehensive rural health system includes a 25-bed critical access hospital, multiple primary care clinics, specialty and surgical services, a birth center, and a 24-hour, physician-staffed emergency department.
The challenge
NVRH faced significant challenges in managing clinical documentation, particularly with maintaining accurate and useful problem lists. Within their electronic health record (EHR) system, there were issues with problem list governance, leading to duplicate diagnoses and inconsistent data management. Providers would add diagnoses to both the problem list and patient history, resulting in duplicated entries and a lack of clear, concise patient data. According to NVRH’s Chief Information Officer, Shawn Burroughs, “The problem list management was devoid of the management piece. It was really just an accumulation of multiple visits and encounters by various people. It became so unwieldy that people refused to manage it.”
This redundant information frustrated providers, contributing to mental strain as they attempted to integrate patient information quickly during visits. It was also bothersome for patients. Deborah Harrigan, MD, recalls, “When I meet with new patients who might have an unwieldy problem list, I spend some time cleaning it up. Patients appreciate it, often saying, ‘Oh, thank you. That problem is really old. That’s no longer relevant.’”
The solution
To address these issues, NVRH sought a tool to make their problem lists more usable. They landed on IMO Core, a solution designed to enhance clinical documentation by reducing redundant diagnoses and organizing problem lists by clinical categories. Harrigan realized the difference soon after implementation: “The reduction of duplicates is big for me and others. When we see the subcategories of the body systems, it’s helpful. It’s definitely decreased that cognitive load.”
Built with robust clinical terminology and categorization capabilities, IMO Core helped NVRH optimize problem list management across its numerous facilities. The solution provided a more intuitive and user-friendly interface for handling clinical data, enabling providers to focus on delivering high-quality patient care without being bogged down by administrative tasks.
The reduction of duplicates is big for me and others. When we see the subcategories of the body systems, it’s helpful. It’s definitely decreased that cognitive load.
Results and beyond
The implementation of IMO Core has significantly improved clinical documentation, streamlining processes and yielding more accurate and concise patient records. Other impacts include:
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Reduced cognitive load: Providers have reported a significant decrease in mental strain with more precise, concise, and accurate patient records that allow them to concentrate more on patient care.
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Cultural shift: New policies paired with the IMO Core solution have encouraged a culture of proactive problem list management among providers.
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Enhanced categorization: Categorizing diagnoses by body system has helped providers quickly identify and manage relevant information, further reducing the administrative burden and improving efficiency.
Moving forward, NVRH plans to continue leveraging IMO Core to refine clinical documentation and workflows. The hospital aims to explore additional features for managing complex diagnoses and improving problem list specificity.
