Client Story
Optimizing Paragon EHR through partnership at Columbus Community Hospital
A long-standing partnership
After searching for a cost-effective electronic health record (EHR) that prioritized security and compliance as well as the opportunity for customization, the team at Columbus Community Hospital (CCH) chose to move forward with Paragon in 2009. It went live in 2010 and hit the ground running with plans to enhance patient care and the user experience.
From the beginning, the relationship between CCH and Altera Digital Health has been tight-knit and mutually beneficial. “You must have a close relationship with your EHR vendor. We are using this product day in and day out in all our departments, and if you don’t have that partnership then it’s hard to get anywhere,” said Stacy Westfall, Information Systems Director at CCH.
Improved patient care and user experience through streamlined workflows in Paragon EHR.
CCH experiences enhanced client support through close partnership with Altera.
Continuous improvements being made to current system due to close-working relationship with sales and customer success executives.
Stacy explains that having a dedicated Client Development Executive and Client Success Manager provides consistency. “They are willing to listen and fix any sinkholes we deal with. It is vital to us that they are in the know about what is going on. We give them our input and we feel like we are listened to,” Westfall said.
Since Altera Digital Health (previously the Allscripts Hospital and Health Systems and Large Physician Practices business segment), was introduced in 2022, CCH leaders believe the hospital is truly being invested in when it comes to feedback, help desk requests and an overall increased sense of community. After attending the 2022 Paragon Basecamp event in Chicago, our annual client even focused on Paragon® solution education and collaboration, the team at CCH feels confident about the way the company is moving forward. “It was nice to listen to everyone openly speak at the event and to be able to hear about all of the positivity and bring it back to the CCH staff and leadership team,” Westfall said.
Recently, CCH joined the Altera Reference Program, where the team will act as a resource for other existing Paragon clients or new prospects. The team will have the opportunity to host phone calls, webinars and site visits with the hope of providing education on Paragon EHR and its many solutions. Westfall explained, “This will give us the opportunity to help other clients and make contacts with other facilities that are using the same products that we are. Finding out how different organizations use the same systems is helpful.”
Paragon EHR: An end-to-end solution
Paragon is designed to cater to the unique needs of community and acute-care facilities like Columbus Community Hospital. It offers an end-to-end solution that enables clinicians to focus on delivering better patient outcomes. At CCH, Paragon has proven to be an innovative solution because it:
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- Streamlines clinicians’ workflows and effectively serves patients in the 50-bed facility, while ensuring consistent compliance with industry standards through annual platform upgrades.Columbus Community Hospital
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- Eases the IT burden by deploying prescriptive builds and workflows, freeing up healthcare providers to concentrate on their patients’ needs instead of getting bogged down with technicalities.
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- Enhances clinician satisfaction by employing proven workflows developed with Human-Centered Design principles, which supports clinical decision-making and ultimately improves patient outcomes.
Currently on Paragon 22.1, CCH hospital staff members describe the solution as comprehensive with a user-friendly interface. “Financial and clinical staff members like Paragon due to its ease of use and straightforwardness,” Westfall said.
When it comes to maintaining patient safety at CCH, Paragon has many medication safeguards, including barcoding and dual witness features, and the system is streamlined all the way from medication reconciliation to providers taking care of prescriptions. “It’s all integrated from start to finish, so that is a plus. We use all of the Paragon solutions in our clinical areas and it is very streamlined, which leads to better efficiency,” Westfall said.
Locum tenens, or temporary clinicians, who come into the hospital for assignments can learn and navigate the system easily. Westfall explained, “Temporary staff members often comment on how easy the system is to use and how well it flows. We have locum tenens who are here only once every few months and they hardly ever need to be retrained.”
A bright future for CCH with Paragon
According to CCH, Altera is making great strides when it comes to Paragon and continually improving the product, in an effort to bring next-level healthcare within reach for the hospital. “The company is investing the time and resources into the solution. Paragon has been a great product for us. We never want to switch,” Westfall said.
One of the primary reasons for Altera’s success with Paragon is the company’s dedication to listening and acting on customer feedback. Altera actively solicits feedback from clients like CCH and uses it to improve the Paragon roadmap, ensuring that the solution continues to meet the changing needs of the healthcare industry. This feedback loop enables Altera to identify the specific pain points of its clients and address them in future updates, resulting in a more efficient and effective product.