Dr. John Contovasilis, Regional Medical Director, Queens-Long Island Medical Group (QLIMG), recently accepted the national award for excellence in improving patient care through the use of computers to automate and connect physicians.
The Connect Award was presented to QLIMG, one of the largest medical groups in the New York metropolitan area, recently at a national convention in Chicago for the 40,000 physician clients of Allscripts, the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve health care.
The award is presented annually to one organization that has demonstrated significant leadership in applying information technology to the needs of physicians and patients. In particular, the Connect Award recognizes the health care organization that demonstrates pioneering leadership in connecting their information systems with those of other healthcare stakeholders to enhance information exchange and improve patient care.
With more than 300 physicians in 22 medical offices throughout Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, QLIMG is the largest physician-owned and operated medical practice group in the tri-state area.
Starting in 2001, QLIMG made a commitment to keeping the community healthy by implementing the Allscripts Enterprise Electronic Health Record, or EHR (formerly known as TouchWorks), to automate and connect its caregivers with the broader health care community. The EHR automates everyday clinical tasks and provides QLIMG’s physicians with instant access to patient information when and where they need it - in the clinic, at the hospital, or while on-call at home.
QLIMG uses the EHR to capture information from the office, outside laboratories, specialists, and hospitals and then analyzes the information to identify trends in quality, risk management, and utilization, leading to heightened efficiency. QLIMG also analyzes frequently admitted diagnoses and creates a list of the top five, enabling them to respond to patients’ needs more effectively. As a complete data-house, the EHR connects primary care physicians, hospitals and nurse care managers and enables them to collaborate on initiatives leading to improved patient care, such as the identification of patients who qualify for outpatient pro-active care programs, allowing staff to monitor diabetic patients to avoid hospitalization.
“Implementing the EHR has been one of our proudest accomplishments and has enabled improve our technology to the level of hospital care within the medical offices,” said QLIMG President and CEO Dr. Nicholas Vogiatzis. “I think this affirms our commitment to bringing innovative technologies to our patients to better serve them by improving the quality and level of care we provide. It is our foremost priority as an organization to keep pace with evolving medical technologies and embracing new concepts toward the advancement of a more efficient healthcare delivery system.”
QLIMG is highly regarded for its more than 300 leading, board-certified primary care, pediatric, OB/GYN and specialty care physicians. Designed for ease of use, QLIMG patients have access to on-site lab-work, mammograms, bone density testing, sonograms, and other important diagnostic tests. The medical group also offers Urgent Care Centers for non-life threatening emergent issues.
Queens-Long Island Medical Group is recognized for its high-level personalized care, all-inclusive on-site services, broad range of specialties, leading physicians, innovative technology, reputable hospital affiliations and convenience. Annually, more than 200,000 entrust their healthcare to the physicians of QLIMG.
For more information on QLIMG, visit www.qlimg.com.
