Case Study: Salem Health Improves Accessibility to EMR Data

“There’s a huge bonus to having the hemo and reporting system as a singleplatform offering. If you ever do reporting after the case or another provider wants to look at it, having everything in the same system is an extremely important piece of the puzzle for the care team.”
- Kevin Thompson, DO
Cardiologist at Salem Health
Customer
Salem Health
Salem, Oregon
Challenge
Improving accessibility of cath lab images, reporting, and other patient data across the health system.
Products
Change Healthcare Cardiology™
Results 1
- Reduced report turnaround time by 12 hours
- Reduced standard echo times by 15 minutes and standard coronary cases by 25 minutes
- Achieved 100% cardiologist adoption for Echo and Cath Structured Reporting
The Customer:
Salem Health is a comprehensive regional health system serving Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Comprised of Salem Hospital, West Valley Hospital, and a variety of clinics, the health system provides patients with top-notch medical services. The not-for-profit Salem Hospital is licensed for 494 beds, and it’s cath lab performs over 4,000 procedures annually. 2
In 2019, Salem Hospital was recognized as one of the highestperforming cardiovascular hospitals in the nation, receiving the IBM Watson Health™ 3 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals award for the fourth time. 4
The Challenge: Getting the Whole Picture from the EMR
Salem Health began searching for a new cardiovascular imaging solution when its existing platform was nearing end-of-life. Faced with a large cost for upgrading, the executive team instead sought an imaging system that could accommodate the needs of the growing organization. Salem Health envisioned a future as a onestop community resource in which the local hospital and its clinician partners were aligned via true, seamless integration.
At the time, the organization used a separate hemo system in the cath lab with no reporting capability. Procedure reporting was painstaking, performed either through transcription or a limited shortcut in the Salem Health’s Epic EMR system.
Cardiologists recall that their notes could only be added to the progress notes section and couldn’t be linked to the images. Additionally, there was no ability to tie together hemodynamics and the procedure log with the report.
The Solution: A Single Platform Offering
Salem Health set out to find a new system with image access, structured reporting, and a seamless integration to their Epic EMR. After significant review and input from its front line staff and providers, the health system soon implemented Change Healthcare Cardiology.
“We adopted this platform for invasive and non-invasive services, as it was the most user-friendly and comprehensive system we could find,” says Valli Brunken, Manager of Angiography, Electrophysiology & Interventional Recovery for Salem Hospital. “The platform fully integrates PACS with our documentation while offering comprehensive provider reporting features.”
The new solution was the first choice for both Salem Health’s Cath Lab staff and its Imaging Informatics team, who support its EMR and PACS. “As reports are easily imported as PDF files, the entire care team can immediately view the procedure notes and the providers’ preliminary reports within our Epic EMR,” says Brunken. “Our experience with Change Healthcare has been exceptional. They’ve partnered with us to create an excellent system.”