Community Health Network has again been named to the list of the nation’s Most Wired hospitals, according to the results of the 2008 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study released in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. Community has been recognized eight out of the past 10 years, since the magazine began naming the 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems in 1999.“The Most Wired award reflects on the investment and integration of our patient data and processes that we have made over the last 12 years, specifically the last five years, since the opening of The Indiana Heart Hospital, which is all-digital,” says Ed Koschka, network vice president of information technology and chief information officer for Community Health Network. “Each year the requirements for winning this award are increased, as the level of technology increases in the hospitals. I have seen the requirements move from hospital-based processes to physician office processes, and now, to involving patients in their own record keeping.”
The 100 Most Wired hospitals show better outcomes in patient satisfaction, risk-adjusted mortality rates and other key quality measures through the use of information technology (IT), according to a new analysis. “Today’s results add to the growing evidence that the appropriate use of IT can enhance both quality and patient satisfaction,” says Alden Solovy, executive editor of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. “Most Wired hospitals are proving the fundamental value of information technology.”
The analysis shows that better outcomes occur among high tech hospitals, but it does not establish a direct causal relationship between technology and outcomes. The satisfaction analysis was conducted jointly with Press Ganey Associates and the quality analysis was conducted jointly with Thomson Healthcare.
“Quality and satisfaction are often tied to key initiatives and goals that hospitals are striving towards through the use of technology and process improvement,” says Merrie Wallace, R.N., vice president and solution line manager, McKesson Provider Technologies. “The most successful hospitals use technology as part of an overall strategy and achieve significant results. Those that just deploy technology for technology’s sake don’t see these types of results.”
The July H&HN cover story detailing results is available at www.hhnmag.com.
