UW News

July 10, 2008

UW Medicine lands top information technology award

The Cerner/ORCA CIS Replacement (CISR) project has been named IT Project of the Year by Advance for Health Information Executives, an industry publication for health care executives. ORCA, or Online Record of Clinical Activity, is an electronic medical record system designed by Cerner that is replacing CIS, or Clinical Information Systems, in UW Medicine.

The IT Project of the Year award is presented by Advance for Health Information Executives to a health care facility that undertakes an innovative IT project that effects positive change in the organization. Entries come from all over the country and are judged by five health care information technology executives. Entries are judged on performance, governance, issue and scope management, financial impact, clinical excellence and customer satisfaction. The winner receives an engraved award and $1,000, and is featured on the cover of the magazine.

CISR project leaders are James Fine, chief information officer for UW Medicine and associate professor and chair of laboratory medicine; Wendy Giles, director of UW Medicine IT Services; and Jake Haunty, project manager. The executive sponsors at the medical centers are Cindy Hecker, interim chief operating officer at Harborview Medical Center, and Lorie Wild, chief nursing officer at UW Medical Center.