Physicians who led development, training and support efforts for the City of Hope Information System (CIS) were honored in November at the National Hospital Foundation’s Hospital Hero Awards luncheon.
 Physician champions look at new computer interfaces that are now a part of the City of Hope Information System. (Photo by p.cunningham) |
Fourteen physicians were nominated as a team for the annual awards, which honor outstanding achievements and reward excellence in hospitals throughout Southern California. The physicians are known as “physician champions” because they worked diligently to ensure that the new CIS would positively impact City of Hope’s patient care and that the needs of physicians were met in the process.
“The physician champions led the development of the CIS while continuing to provide complex clinical care in our high-acuity environment and conducting research of the highest caliber,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., president and chief executive officer.
City of Hope launched CIS in August to improve scheduling, billing, finance, laboratory and pharmacy capabilities, advancing outstanding patient care. Because an integrated CIS system requires carefully considering and balancing diverse needs within the organization, the launch required employees in nearly every part of City of Hope to collaborate. The physician champions were among many groups that contributed to the launch’s success.
Working for several hours each week over more than a year, the physician champions collaborated with various groups to develop a powerful tool to ensure patients have the best outcomes possible. They embedded themselves in the world of information systems and technology, scrutinizing the CIS to ensure that decisions focused on patients’ needs and that colleagues could seamlessly transition to the system.
Physician champions staffed the CIS Care Center, a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week help center that provided critical information and education for physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses and other care providers. They also conducted “CIS support rounds” to all patient-care areas, answering their colleagues’ questions and ensuring they made the most of the system’s strengths.
Alexandra M. Levine, M.D., chief medical officer, chaired the CIS physician champion committee. Physician champions included Donald David, M.D., J. Martin Hogan, M.D., David Horak, M.D., David Josephson, M.D., Michael W. Lew, M.D., Robert J. Morgan Jr., M.D., Alessio Pigazzi, M.D., Ph.D., Joseph Rosenthal, M.D., David S. Snyder, M.D., Jay R. Thomas, M.D., Ph.D., Lawrence Weiss, M.D., Jeffrey Y.C. Wong, M.D., and John H. Yim, M.D.
