It’s been a year since the state of North Carolina passed Medicaid Expansion, bringing with it much-needed coverage and financial reprieve for the communities ECU Health serves.
North Carolina’s former governor, Roy Cooper says “One year of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, ECU Health CEO and Brody School of Medicine’s dean. “As we celebrate this moment. We’re proud to say we’re building the national model for rural health care right here in eastern North Carolina.”
That model depends on Medicaid Expansion and affordable access to care.
“It is a comprehensive health benefit where you can go see a primary care provider, have it covered,” said Kody Kinsley, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. “Where you can have pharmacy, vision and dental and a copay that is never more than four dollars.”
Cost-effective health care is an important component, but it’s not the only one. ECU Health’s Dr. Karen Coward states “This is the power of Medicaid expansion. It’s not just about providing coverage, it’s about dignity.”
And peace of mind for the patients who need it most. Medicaid Expansion beneficiary and ECU Health patient, Darcy Guill spoke during the event.
“Sixteen years ago, I found myself unable to work and I lost my health insurance,” Guill said. “For the next 15 years, I was either uninsured or under insured.”
Her inconsistent coverage hit home in a different way following a car accident.
“I was hospitalized for two months right here at ECU Health,” Guill said. “I knew I was going to be uninsured again and I didn’t know what to do and I was terrified.”
That panic subsided when she realized share now had another option.
“It didn’t dawn on me at first that it was going to include me but it did,” she said. “Medicaid is literally saving my life. I am the person that benefitted from it and I am no different than all the other people that could benefit.”
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health, the health system serving eastern North Carolina, marked a year of clinical advancements, record recruitment, expanded access to care, academic growth and national recognition in 2024. The health system’s progress demonstrates its unwavering commitment to improving health outcomes for the region’s rural communities.
“At ECU Health, 2024 was a successful year marked by groundbreaking innovations, impactful collaborations and significant achievements that solidify our position as a national model for rural health care,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, ECU Health CEO and dean of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
“From advancing academic excellence and clinical innovation to expanding access to care, these milestones reflect the unwavering dedication and hard work of our exceptional team members. As an exciting new year begins, we remain committed to building on this momentum to address the unique health care needs of our communities with a focus on meeting our mission of improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina.”
A few key highlights from 2024 include: celebrating the first graduating class of its Rural Family Medicine Residency Program and also expanding class sizes moving forward, investing in research with the Brody School of Medicine, introducing innovative technologies such as the BEAR® Implant, FARAPULSE™ and EluPro® BioEnvelope to enhance patient outcomes and offer state-of-the-art treatment options, and the system earning several prestigious recognitions, including becoming the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in eastern North Carolina and one of four in the state, Electrophysiology Lab accreditation and Magnet® designation for nursing excellence, and hosting the one year anniversary celebration of Medicaid expansion, highlighting the number of eastern North Carolinians who now have access to health insurance.
More 2024 highlights include:
- ECU Health Medical Center received The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for brain tumor care.
- ECU Health strengthened its network with the opening of the Outer Banks Health Cancer Center, groundbreaking for Outer Banks Health Family Medicine in Manteo, the launch of the JOY Clinic and the ECU Health and Pitt County Health Department’s vaccine and health assessment clinic for local kids.
- ECU Health achieved record recruitment of physicians and nurses committed to the ECU Health mission.
- ECU Health expanded access to primary care access by adding 198 new primary care providers and opening more than 900 new primary care appointments per week.
- ECU Health celebrated the first graduating class of its Rural Family Medicine Residency Program and expanded the class size.
- ECU Health started fellowships in Electrophysiology and American Sign Language.
- The Brody School of Medicine broke ground on its new Center for Medical Education, a step toward increasing its class size from 86 to over 120 students, addressing the growing need for physicians in the region.
- ECU and ECU Health’s NC-STeP program received a national achievement award by the American Psychiatric Association.
To explore more milestones and highlights from 2024, visit ECUHealth.org/YearInReview2024.
Nurses and Child Life staff from ECU Health brought the Teddy Bear Hospital to Northwest Elementary School in Pitt County on Tuesday, Dec. 17, as part of the Pitt County Health Sciences Academy. Nearly 130 kindergarten and first-grade students participated in the event, designed to introduce young children to health care professionals in a welcoming and interactive setting.
Dressed in scrubs and personal protective equipment (PPE), the students acted as caregivers for their favorite stuffed animals. They guided their “patients” through the health care process, starting with check-in and triage. ECU Health nurses examined the stuffed animals, provided a diagnosis, and directed the children to one of three stations: Sutures & Bandages, Operating Room, or Clinic. Afterward, the students and their stuffed animals visited the recovery area, where each received a certificate of bravery.
“This event offers a unique and playful way to familiarize children with health care professionals,” said Nancy Turner, workforce development consultant at ECU Health. “By engaging with the students in a hands-on setting, we’re helping to make health care less intimidating while sparking curiosity about health-related careers.”
Turner emphasized the impact of early exposure to health care.
“When kids see the process in a fun and supportive environment, it not only eases fears about doctor’s visits but also shows them that health care is approachable and full of possibilities,” said Turner.
For many students, the Teddy Bear Hospital is just the beginning of their exploration of health care. ECU Health team members, in collaboration with the Health Sciences Academy, host a variety of programs for middle and high school students, including job shadowing, career fairs and events like “Chat with a Doc.”
“The goal is to engage students at every stage of their education,” said Turner. “Starting in elementary school, we show them that health care careers are diverse and accessible. Whether their interests lie in nursing, technology, or another area, there’s a role for everyone in health care.”
These programs reflect ECU Health’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of health care professionals while building a strong, local pipeline of talent to serve eastern North Carolina.
The Pitt County Health Sciences Academy is a partnership between ECU Health, Pitt County Schools, Pitt Community College, East Carolina University, the Brody School of Medicine, Colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Engineering and Nursing at East Carolina University, School of Dental Medicine at East Carolina University, the Eastern Area Health Education Center and the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce.
ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, a campus of ECU Health Medical Center, brought the community together to celebrate healthy living at its third annual Fall Harvest Event. Held at the Community Well-Being Zone next to the ECU Health Wellness Center in Washington, the event offered fresh produce, free health screenings and opportunities to learn about nutrition and wellness.
Attendees harvested sweet potatoes, leafy greens and fresh herbs, while enjoying the educational atmosphere. The space, designed to promote wellness and community engagement, includes 10 raised beds for vegetables, two large planters for herbs, a storage shed and areas for outdoor learning.
“This event is about more than just providing fresh vegetables,” said Dr. Tammy Thompson, ECU Health’s Director of Experience, Engagement, Education and Design. “We’re fostering wellness habits and creating a space where the community can connect, learn and thrive. Hosting this event by the Wellness Center also allows us to showcase the resources available to help community members live healthy lifestyles.”
In addition to the harvest, the event featured free health screenings on a mobile bus and tours of the ECU Health Wellness Center. Community members received guidance on growing food at home, nutrition tips and exercise information, further emphasizing the importance of holistic health. The event provided fresh vegetable soup for attendees, and warm apple cider as they toured the garden.
The event’s success was also supported by partnerships and volunteer efforts. The Conetoe Family Life Center contributed additional produce for attendees, while an East Carolina University Public Health intern welcomed guests and shared educational resources.
Volunteers like Cathy Karlovich, were thrilled to be part of the initiative.
“Healthy eating is very important to me,” Karlovich said. “I understand how eating well can impact your whole life, so doing something like this for the community and sharing valuable information is really special.”
Thompson encouraged the community to get involved, noting that volunteer opportunities are available for those interested in supporting the garden and its mission.
“My hope with events like this is to cultivate not just a garden, but a healthier, more connected community,” Thompson said.
The garden is open to community members from 9 a.m. to noon each Wednesday and Friday where any produce ready to be harvested will be distributed and other educational materials will be shared. For more information, please visit ECUHealth.org/WBZ
The remedē System is an innovative, FDA-approved medical implant indicated for adult patients with Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)—and it’s now an available treatment option for certain ECU Health patients. CSA is an abnormal breathing pattern that disrupts normal breathing during sleep; there is a disconnect between the need to breathe and the brain sending signals to the diaphragm. Symptoms include chronic fatigue, irritability and brain fog, but there are other secondary outcomes to sleep apnea, such as worsened heart arrythmias and congestive heart failure. The remedē System provides a significant advance in the treatment of CSA when other interventions are not effective.
The remedē System is implanted beneath the collar bone with one or more leads that are placed near the phrenic nerve. The device then delivers mild electric impulses that stimulate the phrenic nerve, which signals to contract the diaphragm and helps patients breathe when there’s an absence of that stimulus from the brain.
After programming the device, the system turns on when the patient lies down to rest during their normal sleep time. Dr. John Catanzaro, the division chief of cardiology at East Carolina Heart Institute, sees the remedē System as an important option for patients with CSA. “There’s a very low risk with this treatment, and phrenic nerve stimulation is a contemporary option for patients with CSA who haven’t responded well to other therapies,” he said.
Patients undergo a screening process at ECU Health’s Sleep Center to determine their eligibility for the procedure. After implanting the device, the surgical team tests it to ensure it works and the patient doesn’t have any side effects. Once the implantation site is healed, the Sleep Center team takes over to determine how to administer the therapy and restore the patient’s sleep pattern.
To get this technology to ECU Health, it required collaboration among professionals from different disciplines, including Dr. Zia Rehman, the medical director of the Sleep Center, Dr. Rajasekhar Nekkanti, cardiologist, professor and director of the Cardiology Fellowship and Dr. Sam Sears, a professor in ECU’s departments of psychology and cardiovascular sciences and an expert on the psychological care and quality of life outcomes of patients with implantable defibrillators.
That the remedē System specifically treats CSA is an important distinction, especially since ECU Health is now the only place in North Carolina other than Winston-Salem to offer the procedure. This provides care to a significant population and will provide an overall improvement in patients’ quality of life while resulting in fewer hospitalizations – achievements that align with ECU Health’s mission and values. “We want ECU Health to be a leader in health care for the state of North Carolina and beyond,” said Dr. Rehman.
The intent is that the program will treat 12-15 patients the first year, with the goal to serve 35 – 40 patients annually after that. To learn more about sleep apnea, including the use of remedē as a treatment option, visit https://healthlibrary.ecuhealth.org/Search/85,P01301.
Success stories start as dreams we harbor in our youth. Career days such as the third Future Health Professionals Conference Nov. 23 help fill in the critical details that make it believable.
Nearly 100 students from 11 counties in central and eastern North Carolina made the trip to Greenville and the Health Sciences Campus of East Carolina University for the event hosted by ECU Health and the university.
D.H. Conley senior Chance Frederick of Greenville was one such student, but one of only a handful who had taken part in the very same event last year.
“I was really amazed the first time by everything they offered me, especially the hands-on experience in the dental clinic. It really made me want to come back,” he said. “And just being able to network and meet people, to see these faces that I just know will be really beneficial for my future, I can’t get that anywhere else.”
Investing in the Future of Health Care
Students listened to medical professionals speak about their career arcs, then walked to nearby schools of medicine, dental medicine and nursing to tour facilities and experience hands-on curriculum at training stations and simulations.
“Engaging high school students early is crucial to addressing the national health care shortage, especially in rural areas like eastern North Carolina,” said Koai Martin, an equity and special projects consultant for ECU Health.
Both the health system and the medical school have a demonstrated history and mission of training and employing health care professionals to work in underserved areas of the state. Efforts such as the Future Health Professionals Conference help “create a pipeline of providers and health care professionals who understand the unique challenges of rural health care,” she said.
“Ultimately, it’s about investing in the future of health care while uplifting the region our ECU Health and ECU medical school proudly serve,” Martin said.
Several students from the Brody School of Medicine led hands-on life support demonstrations and Stop the Bleed simulations. Dr. Calvin Blocker, a resident physician at the school and ECU Health, discussed the epidemiology and pathophysiology of strokes and methods for detecting and identifying stroke symptoms that concluded with an interactive experience involving the examination of brain models and specimens to show areas commonly affected.
“The Future Health Professionals Conference gives high school students insight into the daily lives of our students and the responsibilities of practicing professionals,” said Milton Bond, who directs the medical school’s Pathways to Health Careers Program. “It is important for ECU to commit resources to support initiatives like this to invest in building the future health care workforce.”
In the Middle of the Journey
“I knew I wanted to be a dentist from about 10 years old, but I didn’t get to do anything like this, and no one in my family was in the medical or dental field,” said Dr. Scarlett Walston, a clinical assistant professor in the School of Dental Medicine. “I think it’s really cool just for them to be able just to explore. Maybe one of them falls in love with dentistry, and maybe we’ll see them in the application cycle in a few years.”
Walston said preparing for the DAT — the Dental Admissions Test — is something some committed students begin even in high school. Outreach such as the conference can give young students a shot of hope at a time when they might feel bewildered and disadvantaged navigating such a competitive track.
“Helping the next generation find their path is always important,” she said.
Jennifer Kovacs is a career nurse and health sciences high school teacher who brought eight students to the conference from Dare County. She says health care is a wide-ranging industry that employs trades and hourly workers alongside highly trained specialists.
“There are so many opportunities. If blood and sickness are too much, there’s a cubicle you can sit in and be by yourself and still contribute to health care,” Kovacs said. “There’s a microscope; be a researcher developing a new drug or running lab tests. You can sterilize surgical equipment — another surgery cannot begin until you’ve sterilized from the last one.”
Her students, she says, are weighing careers on several factors. Passion is one, but years spent in college and student debt factor into plans.
“Health care is not just doctors and nurses. It is other clinicians. It is secretaries. It is custodial, meal services, environmental services. And it is a family. … and therefore you can get students involved in any of those aspects,” she said.
Frederick, the 17-year-old senior, put his statistical chance of eventually becoming a dentist at the dizzying tip of the range, 99%.
“I’ve wanted to be a dentist ever since I was 3 years old,” he said. “That was the age of my first dental appointment. If I’ve been into it for 14 years at this point, I think I can take the next 14 to make it happen.”
And he expects to make this dream a reality right in his hometown, at East Carolina University.
“Today, I got to meet with a bunch of second- and third-year dental students. I got to walk right into the lab and immerse myself, and they made me feel included,” he said. “So even though I haven’t started, I saw what it was like to be in the middle of the journey, and it makes me feel like, you know what, I can really do this.”
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health and the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt are pleased to announce an initiative that will help eliminate more than $186 million worth of past-due hospital medical debt for more than 32,000 qualifying patients. Debt relief letters will arrive over the course of December’s holiday season into the New Year on a rolling basis given the size of this relief effort
Eligible community members do not need to apply, and there is no application process. Instead, community members who qualify for this one-time debt relief will receive a branded letter from Undue Medical Debt indicating which past-due hospital debt or debts have been eliminated. Undue Medical Debt works with hospital systems and other providers across the country to purchase past due medical debt belonging to those least able to pay in large portfolios for pennies or less on the dollar and then erases the debt.
ECU Health’s collaboration with Undue Medical Debt pre-dates North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ medical debt relief initiative which spans all hospitals in the state and lays out a plan for medical debt relief coupled with changes to Medicaid/Medicare reimbursement policy and financial aid standards in 2025.
Under Undue Medical Debt guidelines, those who qualify for this medical debt relief have hospital medical debts that are 5% or more than their annual income or earn at or below four times poverty-level income. The current federal poverty level is an annual income of under $31,200 for a family of four which means a qualifying family of four would make under $124,800. Community members do not need to take any action, as the eligible hospital medical debt will automatically be eliminated for those who qualify.
“We’re grateful to collaborate with ECU Health to help ease the burden of medical debt in eastern North Carolina,” said Undue Medical Debt CEO and President Allison Sesso. “Helping community members burdened by medical debt takes thoughtful collaboration and I’m proud of the results: over 30,000 people helped this holiday season. We hope this program provides financial and emotional relief to recipients and encourages them to continue engaging with the healthcare system.”
The collaboration with Undue Medical Debt is one of many ways in which ECU Health is living its mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. The initiative aligns with the health system’s commitment to serving underserved communities in the East, many of which have disproportionate numbers of low-income and uninsured or underinsured people. The initiative is also in alignment with ECU Health’s long-standing practice of non-predatory billing practices, which emphasize charity care, zero-interest payment plans, transparent pricing and dedicated resources to help patients navigate financial requirements.
“At ECU Health, our commitment to our mission and patients is at the heart of all we do,” said ECU Health Chief Operating Officer Brian Floyd. “We have always been guided by a deep desire to support our patients in whatever way we can, and this collaboration with Undue Medical Debt will make an enormous impact on so many in our largely underserved region. We could not be more thankful to find an organization like Undue Medical Debt which shares our vision for making high-quality rural health care accessible here in eastern North Carolina.”
In recognition of the one-year anniversary of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper visited ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville to reflect on the impact of expansion and celebrate a year of reaching North Carolinians in need.
Since Medicaid expansion officially launched in North Carolina on Dec. 1, 2023, more than 80,000 eastern North Carolinians and nearly 600,000 people statewide have benefited from access to vital health insurance. Along with Medicaid expansion, the state also passed the Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP), which provides critical relief to rural hospitals.
Gov. Cooper said Medicaid expansion’s reach in rural communities, like ECU Health’s 29-county service area, has been especially impactful in the last year.
“The last year showed us that this is something that people desperately needed, particularly here in rural North Carolina,” Gov. Cooper said. “I grew up in Nashville and we know that rural North Carolinians have been helped more by Medicaid expansion than anyone else. I hold close to my heart the mission of getting people healthier. I knew getting Medicaid expansion passed and signed into law was the most important thing we could do to accomplish that.”
This milestone reflects the culmination of more than six years of advocacy by ECU Health, driven by the challenges faced by uninsured and underinsured patients.
Dr. Michael Waldrum, ECU Health chief executive officer and dean of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, said Medicaid expansion and HASP funding is creating real differences for patients, health care workers and the future of health care in places like eastern North Carolina.
“Medicaid expansion has helped improve access to primary care, empowering people to take control of their health and their lives,” Dr. Waldrum said. “It is also an investment in rural health organizations like ours. At the same time and in partnership with the state, ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine are also committed to doing their part to support primary care expansion efforts in rural health care.”
He highlighted the expansion of the Rural Family Medicine Residency program, which will train nine rural residents per class across three training sites in the East and the upcoming Center for Medical Education Building on Brody’s campus. This investment has helped and will continue to help ECU Health and Brody serve the combined mission of improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina.
Dr. Karen Coward, a family medicine physician with ECU Health, is a Kinston native and practices in Tarboro. She said she knew by age 10 she wanted to be a family physician in her home community. She attended Brody and stayed true to her dream of serving eastern North Carolina.
She said before Medicaid expansion, many of her patients would rely on the emergency department for care. Even if a patient was connected with primary care, it was difficult for them to follow through with appointments or afford medications. Chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension or even cancer would go unchecked. Now, she said, she’s seen a life-changing shift.
“Patients who once cycled through the emergency department are now establishing relationships with primary care providers like me,” Dr. Coward said. “They are keeping their appointments, following through on recommendations, treatments, and gaining access to medications and specialist referrals that were previously out of reach. For many, this will mean earlier diagnoses and interventions, reducing the burden of advanced diseases.”
Kody Kinsley, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, joined the event and said that in the past year over $58 million in dental claims alone were filed, millions of prescriptions were filled and hundreds of millions of dollars in claims supporting hospital care were taken care of through Medicaid expansion.
He said this comprehensive health insurance is already making a real difference for individuals and families.
“Medicaid expansion is life changing for families,” Sec. Kinsley said. “It is peace of mind for people as they sit up late at night thinking about how the next day will impact them. Will a sickness impact their family? Will they end up in debt? They don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
The event also included remarks from a Medicaid expansion beneficiary, Darcy Guill from Ayden, who shared her gratefulness for regular care she’s receiving, specialists she’s able to visit and prescriptions she can fill, thanks to Medicaid expansion.
As we look back over the previous year, we’re proud to build the national model for rural health care here in eastern North Carolina at ECU Health and we’re grateful for the support the region and health system through Medicaid expansion and HASP.
Seven key priorities served as the central discussion point as community-based health partners joined ECU Health and Pitt County Department of Social Services (DSS) in October for the second session of a conference series designed to support the emergency department and improve access to non-emergent care across eastern North Carolina.
The seven key priorities, identified during the first conference session in early October, represent the unique viewpoints from stakeholders across the community and all of whom share a common goal: reduce unnecessary utilization of the emergency department in Greenville.
The seven priorities include:
- Placement/disposition – getting patients placed in the appropriate care settings outside the emergency department such as skilled nursing facilities, in-home care, adult care homes, foster homes, etc.
- Navigating the system – defining roles and responsibilities of each agency
- Collaboration – improve collaboration among systems and across agencies
- Crisis system – more clearly defining how the system operates and clarifying any confusion that may exist
- Community options and wraparound support – ensure a robust support system in the health care setting and in the community to ensure people get the help they need
- Access to services – provide clarity on where patients need to go to access care
- Regulatory – reduce barriers and create efficiencies in key operational areas like timely discharge and clinical assessments
“This was a moment for us as a health care community to not only clearly define the challenges facing the patients we serve, but to also explore how we can implement solutions that improve the emergency care realities here in eastern North Carolina,” said Jacob Parrish, vice president of capacity and throughput at ECU Health, who served as one of the conference organizers. “The challenges facing emergency departments both locally and nationally cannot be solved solely by the hospitals themselves. These conversations help us take our words and put them into collaborative action.”
Health care and community partners in attendance at the conference included ECU Health, DSS Directors from across eastern North Carolina, Juvenile Justice, Trillium Health Services, Public School leaders, NC DHHS, payors, faith leaders, and other eastern North Carolina hospitals and key stakeholders. The conversation focused on both adult and pediatric/adolescent patient populations who present at the emergency department but could be better served in a different setting.
The importance of education and outreach served as a common theme throughout the discussion. Organizations talked not only about the importance of providing critical information directly to patients, but also emphasized the importance of educating themselves on the role that other organizations and agencies play in the care continuum.
ECU Health highlighted the growing demand for emergency department services and the urgent need to streamline care in the community for non-emergent cases. The discussions underscored how patients with non-critical issues are often funneled to emergency departments due to limited access to routine and primary care resources and crisis services, creating unnecessary strain on EDs. ECU Health Medical Center, for example, remaining full nearly half the year due to high patient volumes, which often exceed its 974-bed capacity. This backlog directly impacts how long some patients may wait in the ED.
“Our commitment to improving emergency care access and efficiency for our patients is unwavering,” said Dr. Leigh Patterson, chief of services for emergency medicine at ECU Health Medical Center. “The collaboration we’re seeing across health care and alongside our community partners demonstrates a shared dedication to creating lasting solutions that serve the unique needs of eastern North Carolina.
By addressing the root causes that lead to emergency department overutilization, we’re working to not only improve the experience for our patients but also strengthening health care in our region.”
ECU Health and Pitt County DSS will host a third session of the conference to further discuss action items and strategies to support more collaboration in the community.
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health has earned 2024 College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Digital Health Most Wired recognition as a certified acute and ambulatory Level 8. The Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey designed to identify and recognize health care organizations that exemplify best practices through their adoption, implementation and use of information technology and included more than 48,000 represented facilities in 2024.
“I am incredibly proud of our team’s dedication and innovation, which have been instrumental in achieving the 2024 Most Wired Award,” said Donette Herring, chief information officer, ECU Health. “Our efforts to improve the well-being and efficiency of our clinical team members and adoption of artificial intelligence were top priorities this past year. These achievements underscore the team’s commitment to innovation, education and the seamless integration of technologies across the organization. We look forward to building on these successes and exploring new opportunities to advance ECU Health’s strategies and improve operational performance.”
ECU Health ranked above peers in categories across eight key areas including: infrastructure, security, administrative/supply chain, analytics/data management, interoperability/population health, patient engagement, innovation and clinical quality/safety. Participants receive a comprehensive benchmarking report enabling them to evaluate their current information systems’ health. This report assists in devising strategies to elevate the quality of health care organizations to enhance industry-wide care standards. The assessment covers digital health performance. The survey assesses the adoption, integration and impact of technologies at all stages of development, from early development to industry leading.
ECU Health has piloted several initiatives to enhance patient care and streamline operations. The clinical communication program has enhanced the timeliness of communication and care coordination among team members, as well as increased workforce mobility, evidenced by high utilization in medication administration, documentation, and secure messaging. The MyChart Bedside program allows patients to access real-time education, lab results and pertinent care information directly from iPads, enhancing patient understanding and engagement. In the Emergency Department, the ‘Hello World’ initiative improves patient engagement through enhanced texting capabilities, keeping patients informed on next steps.
Additionally, regional facilities have expanded the tele-sitter program, optimizing resource allocation for patients who need monitoring but not constant one-on-one attention. The implementation of flowsheet macros has been a major efficiency booster, saving nurses millions of clicks and positioning ECU Health as a leader in this innovative adoption. ECU Health is also advancing artificial intelligence (AI) integration across its operations. The launch of the AI Center of Practice (AICoP) has gathered over 200 members across departments to foster collaboration and AI best practices.
“We are proud to recognize your ECU Health’s exceptional dedication to digital health excellence,” said CHIME President and CEO, Russ Branzell. “ECU Health’s pioneering performance in the industry not only inspires other organizations by example, but also provides patients around the world with better care.”