NRMC purchases new Cerner software

Nevada Daily Mail

Since partnering with Cerner about two years ago, Nevada Regional Medical Center has purchased new technology and software from them in order to improve the hospital's efficiency, saving both time and money in the process.

At their meeting Tuesday, the hospital's board of directors voted to purchase five more software items recently developed by Cerner -- including a Behavioral Health Unit module, Laboratory Imaging Interface, Quality Measures, PowerChart Touch and FetaLink -- in a bundle for a discounted price.

"It's keeping us on the cutting edge," chief executive officer Kevin Leeper said of Cerner and the advances the software will bring to the hospital.

The behavioral health module will automate the usually manual task of charting patients' information while the Laboratory Imaging Interface allows doctors to more easily access lab results. The Quality Measures software automates the process for quality data abstraction.

FetaLink will allow obstetric doctors to remotely access fetal heart monitors while away from the hospital and PowerChart Touch allows one person to have access to charting from a mobile device instead of having to be at a computer.

Because of the hospital's agreement to purchase all five items at once, Cerner lowered the original combined cost from $169,000 to $152,000. Through NRMC's partnership with Cerner, the hospital has also earned vouchers which will lower the cost further, leaving the hospital to pay just $16,000 up front and about $3,800 a month. Those fees will not be in effect until the next fiscal year as the software is installed over upcoming months.

Chief financial officer Greg Shaw said that monthly fee would not have too much of an impact as they are already below budget for the Cerner fees this fiscal year.

"I'm totally supportive of it," board chairman Steve Russ said. "It will provide efficiency for our employees ... at a relatively low price."

Board member Bill Denman told the board that he supported the purchase of the software, but said he would like to hear regular reports of its use and the money saved, mentioning other situations when NRMC paid for software but then rarely used it.

Holly Bush, chief quality officer, said the hospital would eliminate $25,000 to $35,000 currently paid to the Missouri Hospital Association for similar software with the purchase of Cerner's software.

Leeper said the BHU especially would benefit from the automated software as a large amount of manual labor becomes automated.

"I feel very strongly that this will help revenue," Leeper said, adding that he believes it will bring in more patients.

During the meeting, the board also approved the purchase of Craneware Chargemaster software, which will automatically inform NRMC when changes to procedures or laws have been made instead of searching for those updates manually.

They also decided to pay for the machinery and technician needed to bring the hospital's sleep study services in-house instead of renting the equipment. The one-time purchase will cost more than $39,000, but the NRMC Foundation donated $30,000 to the program to help cover that cost.

The hospital is projected to pay off the equipment and break even by the third year and make a $19,000 profit by the fourth year. That is with no growth at all to the current numbers. Leeper said those numbers could possibly double.

NRMC will also add four branches of Wilkinson Pharmacy to the 340B program for a first year cost of $52,500 and an expected income of $30,000 per month.