Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Secures Prestigious HIMSS Adoption Model for Analytics Maturity Stage 7 Designation

March 29, 2024

STANFORD, Calif. – In an era of significant health care transformation, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health proudly announces its redesignation as a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Adoption Model for Analytics Maturity (AMAM) Stage 7 institution. This prestigious designation highlights our forefront position and organization’s culture in harnessing the power of analytics to enhance decision-making processes to elevate patient care and improve all facets of our health system. Achieving the highest level, HIMSS AMAM Stage 7, places an organization in rarefied company, a distinction that only three other children’s health systems nationwide share with Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.

“Achieving HIMSS AMAM Stage 7 is more than an honor; it is a reflection of our relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in health care,” said Tanya Townsend, Senior Vice President and Chief Information and Digital Officer for Stanford Children’s. “It signifies a momentous leap toward a future where health care is intuitively personalized, predictively accurate, and universally impactful.”

At the heart of our HIMSS AMAM Stage 7 designation are five visionary initiatives that exemplify our strategic approach to health care innovation and digital transformation through leveraging analytics:

• Revolutionizing Patient Flow Analytics: A proprietary developed tool, affectionately called SCARF (Stanford Children’s Analytics to Review Flow), represents a significant leap in managing and optimizing the flow of patients through Stanford Medicine Children’s Health facilities, ensuring that every child receives timely and efficient care. By integrating real-time data and predictive analytics, SCARF has enabled a dynamic adjustment to patient admissions, discharges, and transfers, significantly reducing wait times and improving overall patient and caregiver satisfaction.
• Pioneering Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPIs) Management: This initiative has set a new standard in the prevention and management of hospital-acquired pressure injuries, combining meticulous data analysis with proactive care protocols. Through the deployment of targeted analytics, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health has effectively identified at-risk patients, enabling preemptive interventions that have markedly decreased the incidence of HAPIs and enhanced patient safety.
• Focusing on Limited English Proficiency (LEP)–Unit-Based Analytics/Interventions: Targeted unit-based interventions were developed to ensure that the interpreter services department can enable LEP families to receive communication in their primary language while monitoring both adherence to communication standards and impact on health outcomes. This coordinated effort helped catalyze enterprise focus on LEP communication and interpretation standards, informed interpreter training, and demonstrated the critical role of standardized documentation and replicable processes.
• Safeguarding Adolescent Confidentiality: Our groundbreaking use of natural language processing (NLP) to protect the privacy of adolescent communications within our patient portals epitomizes our dedication to ethical innovation. This innovative approach has meticulously parsed through clinical notes to filter out sensitive information, ensuring that adolescents can receive care while maintaining their right to privacy, fostering a trusting and safe health care environment.
• Leveraging People Analytics: The People Analytics dashboard is a valuable tool for Human Resources and all leaders across the organization. Offering robust turnover and workforce metrics, along with a section for talent acquisition, it enables leaders to easily visualize current and historical staffing patterns and gain insights to help facilitate recruitment in a more efficient and cost-effective manner.

“These initiatives are not just achievements; they are milestones in our journey toward reimagining health care,” said Natalie Pageler, MD, Vice President and Chief Health Informatics Officer. “Through a blend of technological prowess and visionary health care practice, we are not just responding to the challenges of today but anticipating the needs of tomorrow.”  

Echoing this sentiment, Brendan Watkins, Chief Analytics Officer, noted, “HIMSS AMAM Stage 7 highlights the exemplary digital transformation culture at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Our top-notch Analytics teams excel within an effective federated structure alongside outstanding clinical and business partners and a highly engaged executive team.”

As we celebrate this prestigious designation at the HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health remains committed to advancing the frontiers of health care through innovation, inspired by a bold vision of a future where every patient receives truly personalized and proactive care.