The Greater Hudson Valley Health System

Orange Regional Medical Center and Catskill Regional Medical Center are members of the Greater Hudson Valley Health System (GHVHS). This year, we are integrating the corporate departments into the GHVHS structure including Finance, Human Resources, Quality, Planning and Marketing, IT, Legal, Corporate Compliance and Real Estate and Audit. The purpose of combining the corporate departments is to save money on overhead expenses and standardize work at both organizations. We continue to work closer and more efficiently as one system. This is good for both organizations; strengthening each hospital individually.

Implementation and training for the successful launch of the EPIC Electronic Health Record System is in full swing as we prepare to “go live” in late March. The training program is going very well and I’m very impressed by the enthusiasm of our nurses and physicians. A special thank you to the IT and education staff for their dedication and hard work.

There are many benefits to the EPIC system. One huge improvement will be in the ordering of medications. With physicians ordering prescriptions directly to the pharmacy, hours of time will be saved and the opportunity for errors greatly reduced. This is a key benefit of the EPIC system and will improve the timeliness and safety of medications delivered to our patients.

An extraordinary focus of ours in 2011 will be delivering the new hospital on time and within budget. We’ll continue to monitor costs, keep a close eye on the construction schedule and execute move plans to coincide with a seamless transition for our patients. I recently met with Fred Kummer, President and CEO of HBE, our design-build firm. Coincidentally, Fred was born at Horton Hospital and will celebrate his 82nd birthday on April 23, 2011: the same day we are scheduled to complete construction. Having noted a very special connection to this project, Fred has assured us that it will be completed on his birthday, as scheduled.

There is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy surrounding our progress and what needs to be accomplished this year. Still, favorable patient experiences must remain at the forefront of providing quality healthcare. Starting in January, Lou Heimbach, Chairman of the Board, and I have been making patient rounds. We have interviewed patients at both the Horton and Arden Hill Campuses and have received very favorable feedback from patients and family members. Thank you for all you do in taking great care of our patients every single day.