Edgewood, KY – St. Elizabeth Healthcare has been recognized as a recipient of Healthcare’s Most Wired for 2018 by the American Hospital Association and College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). In addition, the HIMSS survey team granted Stage 7 revalidation for both acute care and ambulatory. This award indicates the adoption of Epic and other technologies to enhance patient care and move more toward a paperless environment. Only 6.4% of hospitals and 10.8% of outpatient facilities currently have Stage 7 certification.
Of the hospitals surveyed, only 254 received “Most Wired” distinction of all hospitals throughout the country. The annual survey examined how hospitals are leveraging IT (information technology) to improve performance for value-based healthcare in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management, quality and safety, and clinical integration. The methodology of the survey sets specific requirements in each of the four focus areas. If any of these requirements are not met, then the organization does not achieve the Most Wired designation.
“We have worked hard at St. Elizabeth to share health information to help clinicians and patients have the information they need to make the most informed decisions about health and treatments,” says Alex Rodriguez, Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “This effort was the culmination of a lot of hard work throughout many areas of the organization.”
As the nation’s healthcare system transitions to more integrated and patient-centered care, hospitals are utilizing information technology to better connect care providers and patients. Those hospitals that have met the award criteria have made tremendous gains by using IT to reduce the likelihood of medical errors.
“Healthcare IT has the potential to revolutionize care around the world, but to meet that potential it must be used strategically,” said Russell Branzell, president and CEO of CHIME. “The technology is important, but leadership and a strategic vision are equally important.”
Detailed results of the survey are available at www.chimecentral.org.