Priscilla A. Frase, MD, hospitalist and CMIO at MEDITECH customer Ozarks Healthcare (West Plains, MO), was recognized as Innovator of the Year 2024 at CHIME’s recent Fall Forum. It’s the latest in a series of recent honors for the rural healthcare executive, who was also recognized with the HIMSS Senior Executive Changemaker in Health Award for 2024.
Earlier this year, she also accepted two KLAS Arch Collaborative EHR Experience Breakthrough awards on Ozark’s behalf, for physician and nurse EHR satisfaction improvements. Ozarks has been using MEDITECH’s Expanse EHR since 2020.
“It is such an honor to receive this recognition from CHIME, and to see the hard work of our teams recognized,” Dr. Frase said. “The story of Ozarks’ transformation journey is really a story of resilience and collaboration. Like most organizations, we’ve faced our fair share of challenges these last several years. But we never backed down. Instead, we channeled our collective spirit and our commitment to the meaningful use of technology to drive innovations that will improve the care experience for everyone. That is something we all can be proud of.”
Ozarks was implementing a new Expanse EHR just as the pandemic hit. Even amid historic care demands, the organization was able to use this technology to achieve one medical record across all care settings — including their acute care facility, family medicine practices, and specialty clinics — along with comprehensive rehabilitation and home care services.
Ozarks also brought behavioral health information into their system, paving the way for their federal designation as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic.
Optimizing the functionality of their EHR was essential for Ozarks to streamline care coordination for clinicians and patients across their rural community. By personalizing digital behavioral health documentation templates, they were able to support provider preferences, patient confidentiality, and secure state reporting.
As CMIO, Dr. Frase was key in bridging the gaps between people and their technology.
“If you want patients to have a good experience, you need your providers to have a good experience,” she said. “Engaging with clinicians on the issues they care about, participating in industry workgroups like the KLAS Arch Collaborative, and working with MEDITECH on EHR optimization has been essential for us.”
According to two recent KLAS research studies, Ozarks improved their net EHR Experience score for providers by 48 points between 2019 and 2021 after implementing Expanse. Their nurse satisfaction score also rose by 24 points. Overall, the organization ranks in the 100th percentile in seven out of 10 EHR Support Metrics (with three other categories close behind). Ozarks was noted for the quality of its initial and ongoing EHR training, as well as for giving clinicians a voice in the governance process.
MEDITECH Executive Vice President and COO Helen Waters emphasized the company’s strong commitment to its customers, especially in light of the challenges they face with workforce management, staffing shortages, and tight profit margins.
“Customer collaboration is a cornerstone of MEDITECH's success in the industry,” she explained. “As an EHR solution provider, we partner with community hospitals to help them achieve their goals and succeed in delivering high-quality, cost-effective care while ensuring a positive user experience. Our aim is to continue supporting organizations that remain independent and serve as vital centers for local quality healthcare services. Ozarks is a beautiful example of this, and their distinction with this award supports the power and potential of accessible and affordable local healthcare.”