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Beebe Healthcare named 2017 Most Wired

Technology helps hospitals partner with patients on health
July 17, 2017

Technology is making it easier for patients and providers to interact, thus improving communication, safety and patient-provider relationships. New tools are helping patients become more actively involved in their care and maintaining their health, according to results of the 19th Annual Health Care's Most Wired survey, recently released by the American Hospital Association's Health Forum.

According to the survey, Most Wired hospitals are using smartphones, telehealth and remote monitoring to create more ways for patients to access healthcare services and capture health information. This year's results show:

  • 76 percent offer secure messaging with clinicians on mobile devices.
  • When patients need ongoing monitoring at home, 74 percent use secure emails for patients and families to keep in touch with the care team.
  • 68 percent simplify prescription renewals by letting patients make requests on mobile devices.
  • 62 percent add data reported by patients to the electronic health record to get a better picture of what is going on with the patient.
  • Nearly half of the hospitals are using telehealth to provide behavioral health services to more patients.
  • 40 percent offer virtual physician visits.
  • More than 40 percent provide real-time care management services to patients at home for diabetes and congestive heart failure.

"The Most Wired award is a significant achievement for our organization, and it recognizes the continuous hard work and investments in implementing technologies for the advancement of safe and quality care for our patients and community. It's not all about winning awards; however, they are a validator that we are indeed doing the right things," said Michael J. Maksymow, MBA/TM, CHCIO, FCHIME, FHIMSS, CPHIMS, vice president and chief information officer at Beebe Healthcare.

"The Most Wired hospitals are using every available technology option to create more ways to reach their patients in order to provide access to care," said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. "They are transforming care delivery, investing in new delivery models in order to improve quality, provide access and control costs."

Innovation in patient care embraces emerging technologies and underscores the need for secure patient information exchange. Hospitals have increased their use of sophisticated IT monitoring systems to detect patient privacy breaches, monitor for malicious activities or policy violations, and produce real-time analysis of security alerts. Studies show 97 percent use intrusion detection systems, 96 percent perform data access audits, and nearly 90 percent run targeted phishing exercises to teach employees to question suspicious emails.

Most Wired hospitals are transforming care delivery with knowledge gained from data and analytics. They are investing in analytics to support new delivery models and effective decision-making and training clinicians on how to use analytics to improve quality, provide access and control costs.

HealthCare's Most Wired survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, 2017, is published annually by Hospitals & Health Networks. The 2017 Most Wired survey and benchmarking study is a leading industry barometer measuring information technology use and adoption among hospitals nationwide. The survey of 698 participants, representing an estimated 2,158 hospitals - more than 39 percent of all hospitals in the U.S. - examines how organizations are leveraging IT to improve performance for value-based healthcare in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management; quality and safety; and clinical integration.

Detailed results of the survey and study can be found in the July issue of H&HN. For a full list of winners, go to www.hhnmag.com.

 

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