Hospitals and Health Networks released its list of the most wired hospitals as part of an effort to highlight which health systems and facilities are best connecting to patients.
Among those deemed the “Most Wired,” meaning they met a rigorous set of criteria across four operational categories, 67 percent share critical patient information electronically with specialists and other providers, according to the survey, conducted with San Francisco-based McKesson Corp., AT&T, the College of Healthcare Information Management and the American Hospital Association. The hospitals that made the list “have made tremendous gains by using IT to reduce the likelihood of medical errors,” the survey said.
Hundreds of hospitals made the list, ranging from the biggest system in the country to small, independent rural hospitals. The “most advanced” hospitals are:
- Altru Health System in Grand Forks, N.D.
- Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine.
- Children’s Medical Center in Dallas
- Crozer-Keystone Health System in Springfield, Pa.
- Genesis Health System in Davenport, Iowa
- Inova Health System in Falls Church, Va.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City
- Ochsner Health System in New Orleans
- Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis
- Riverside Health System in Newport News, Va.
- Rush University Medical Center in Chicago
- St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, Mich.
- Susquehanna Health in Williamsport, Pa.
- Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Fla.
- Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Mo.
- University of California San Diego Health System
- University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison
- Veterans Health Administration in Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia University Hospitals in Morgantown, W.Va.
- Yale New Haven Health System in Connecticut
Those systems, according to the survey, met all the criteria for advanced, including “stronger security systems and faster disaster recovery; electronic tools to improve business processes, quality and patient safety; use of evidenced-based electronic order sets; automated review of CMS key indicators with compliance alerts; chronic disease management services for patients at home.”
Other key findings of the survey indicate that nurses and physicians at 90 percent “most wired” hospitals share best practices for patient safety and use checklists. Thirty-six percent of the hospitals aggregate data to create a community health record, while 71 percent “most wired” manage care transitions compared to 57 percent among all responding organizations. Another 43 percent integrate clinical and claims data and make it accessible and searchable across the providers. And 35 percent of the listed hospitals use social media to deliver care management messages and 40 percent provide mobile applications for secure messaging with patients.
More than 30 percent of all hospitals in the U.S., or 1,900 total, responded to the survey, conducted in January.
