Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been named one of the nation’s Most Wired health care providers, according to the 2003 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study, released today by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.
“Hospitals are empowering patients with information and providing tools to doctors and nurses to improve quality,” said Alden Solovy, executive editor of Hospitals & Health Networks, the journal of the American Hospital Association, which has named the 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems annually for five years.
“Being named as one of the nation’s most wired health care institutions speaks volumes about the commitment of our physicians and executives to improve patient care through information technology. The value of our technological investments has been evidenced by measurable improvements in patient safety and quality of outcomes,” said Paul LoRusso, vice president and chief information officer at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
The 100 Most Wired are providing Web-based patient education at the bedside, disease-specific self-assessments online and are linking clinical equipment to send patient readings directly to the medical record. “Patient care is at the heart of these initiatives,” Solovy said. “The nation’s 100 Most Wired hospitals are emphasizing clinical quality and patient services in their efforts to remain technology leaders.”
“Hospitals are investing in information technology to help them achieve their strategic objectives, especially in the areas of quality, safety and efficiency,” said Barry P. Chaiken, M.D., vice president, medical affairs, for the Information Solutions division of McKesson. “There’s a strong and growing recognition of the value that comes from having the right information at the point of care. That value takes the form of greater care team efficiency, less variability and fewer errors, and ultimately improved health outcomes.”
The survey was conducted by Hospitals & Health Networks, in cooperation with McKesson Corporation and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). It measures the nation’s hospitals on their use of Internet technologies for safety and quality, customer service, disaster readiness, business processes and workforce issues.
Results from the survey were used to name the 100 Most Wired. More than 400 health systems responded to the survey, representing 1,128 hospitals or 19 percent of U.S. hospitals.
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Media Contacts: Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu; or Mark Wright, mwright@wfubmc.edu, at 336-716-4587.