Hospitals and clinics receive health IT awards

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has announced its annual Davies Awards for excellence in the implementation of EHRs. Among the recipients are the Allina Hospitals & Clinics, Minneapolis; the Valdez Family Clinic in San Antonio, TX; and Village Health Partners (formerly Family Medical Specialists of Texas) in Plano, TX. In the public health category, the Illinois-National Electronic Disease Surveillance System, Springfield, Ill., and the Institute for Family Health, which operates 15 community health centers in New York City, were recognized.

The Valdez Family Clinic is the solo practice of Alicia Valdez. She won for her ability to capture data at the point of care, which has decreased the average amount of time spent on each patient note from 10 minutes to two. Village Health Partners, an eight doctor family practice, has had an EHR since 2003 and is building a "medical village" to provide one stop health-care shopping.