A Letter From Our President and CEO
Jim Shmerling, DHA, FACHE,
President and CEO
Together, we are The Children’s Hospital, working with kids and for kids. We have gained our solid reputation thanks to your commitment to Children’s. Your excitement about the new facility will go a long way toward providing patients and their families with a warm welcome and help make them comfortable during this time of change.
Since our founding almost a century ago, Children’s has focused on improving the health of children by providing high-quality patient care, education, research and advocacy programs. We’re excited about meeting the demands of our mission as we settle into a state-of-the-art hospital built to meet the needs of pediatric patients and their families more effectively while reinforcing our five strategic pillars: People, Growth, Quality, Finance and Service.
This year Children’s became the first, free-standing pediatric hospital in the nation to implement fully an integrated Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. This achievement enables authorized care providers access to a patient’s comprehensive health record via secure technology whether you are at Children’s, in your office or at an outside clinic. The EMR opens up a world of opportunities for both our care teams and our patients. Eventually our EMR integration efforts will enable us to aggregate data to provide more consistent, evidence-based care with the goal of further improving patient outcomes.
This milestone in Children’s history will be supported by Mary Anne Leach, who will join the organization as chief information officer this October. Ms. Leach, along with our technology support teams, will work to enhance the system as best practices emerge and updates are required.
With more than 1,000 pediatric specialists on staff, a new state-of-the-art facility ready to open, and our ever-expanding network of care throughout the seven-county metro area, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, The Children’s Hospital stands ready to meet the continuing challenges of pediatric healthcare now and for generations to come. To help realize the promise of outstanding pediatric healthcare, I understand fully that Children’s relationship with its phenomenal team of physicians is vitally important.
As the transition draws near, Practice Update editors have prepared in-depth resources for you to get to know The new Children’s Hospital and the family-centered care services the facility offers your patients. After reading through this comprehensive issue, let us know how we may continue to support you and your practice.
Sincerely,
Jim Shmerling, DHA, FACHE
President and CEO, The Children’s Hospital
