PMC EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR  — Mark Jones, the Pondera Medical Center CEO stands with Laura Erickson RN, the PMC Employee of the Year. She is at the top of the list of people in the organization who literally has the answer to most everything at PMC, read part of her nomination.  I-O Photo by Buck Traxler

If you have been to the Pondera Medical Center (PMC) lately you have probably noticed some changes.

You may have also seen some different people working in the ancillary departments. This is all part of the first phase of PMC’s (Electronic Medical Records) EMR installation.

The extra people you see are employees from CPSI an Electronic Health Records company based in Mobile, Ala. Most of PMC’s ancillary departments are now using an EMR. Each department is set up with a computer module that works within their department and also communicates with other departments.

“The PMC is excited to be in the forefront of most Critical Access Hospitals in Montana. As most of you know Electronic Health Records are part of the government’s mandate of Health Care Reform,” Lisa Hanson, the Director of Business Development and Marketing explains.

At the PMC, Medicare has set up certain guidelines that every healthcare organization has to meet by 2015. Medicare will reimburse organizations for their implementations that meet their timelines and guides. The reimbursement should start for PMC approximately June 2012. The hospital has budged $1.2 million for this project.