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Q&A with John Marc Alban

by Nancy Ryerson, Staff Writer | February 06, 2014
JohnMarc Alban
From the January/February 2014 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center was recently awarded HIMSS Stage 7 accreditation, the highest level of EMR adoption the association gives. Only 2.1 percent of hospitals in the country have reached Stage 7. JohnMarc Alban, director Information Systems, Clinical Informatics, & Communications, talked with us about how the hospital got so connected.

HCBN: Tell me a little about your background. How did you get to where you are today?
John Marc Alban: I’m a director over the information systems, clinical informatics and communications department at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. I’m a nurse by background having worked in the emergency department as well as in the fields of infectious disease research and prevention. I’ve always had a strong interest in technology and so when the opportunity to blend that interest with my clinical career arose, it was an easy choice to pursue. Eventually, that led me to my current role as a leader. It’s been a gratifying career so far, highlighted by achievement of the HIMSS 7 award. But I’m excited to continue my work in a field where countless innovations are being developed that can have such impact on how we serve our patients.

HCBN: Tell me about the development of your health IT program. When did it first start?
JA: Information systems have been part of AIMMC’s operational infrastructure for quite some time now. Our clinical informatics program, however, started about eight years ago when we recognized the need to have clinicians heavily engaged in technology/ EMR deployments. These solutions have significant impact to clinical workflow and it’s important to have associates who can navigate the technical and clinical spaces.

HCBN: What are some benefits the hospital has enjoyed because of EHRs and other health IT initiatives?
JA: Some of the obvious benefits include legibility as well as availability of documentation anywhere on site in the hospital as well as at home through use of our portal technology. Cost savings have come in the form of paper reduction as well as significant decrease in utilization of dictation/transcription services. Most importantly, from a patient safety standpoint, we are able to hardwire and automate some key practices that help to improve health outcomes.

HCBN: What do you think are the biggest challenges involved in adopting HER technology and using it “meaningfully”?
JA: It’s important to have a culture that embraces the role technology plays in health care. If you don’t have engagement from your leadership as well as your physician and clinician community, the road to success is hindered. At the same time, those same folks must have confidence in the system and confidence that we can continue to provide excellent and safe care. That’s where IS and clinical informatics play such a large role – we need to cultivate that trust and those relationships and ensure we have appropriate support models and implementation/ education plans in place.

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