In the July issue of Hospital’s and Health Networks Magazine (H&HN), Deaconess Health System was the only regional hospital recognized as one of 2013’s “Most Wired.” This recognition is the result of the magazine’s Health Care’s Most Wired Survey, conducted between January 15 and March 15, 2013. The survey asked hospitals and health systems nationwide to answer questions regarding their IT initiatives.

Deaconess received top honors thanks to our progressive approach to technology in the health care setting. The foundation of our digital strategy is early and successful implementation of a robust Electronic Medical Record system (EMR). This system improves operational, financial, and clinical performance throughout the entire continuum of care. It also enables us to significantly increase patient safety by creating alarms and alerts for potential medication interactions, linking hospital data back to the patient’s doctor, and safeguarding personal health information.

“Healthcare has historically lagged behind other industries in the adoption and use of technology. Our health system continues to be ahead of the curve because the Information Systems Department at Deaconess accepted a challenge from our leaders years ago to embrace health information technology and make it a meaningful part of how we provide care,” says Dr. Dan Edelman, Chief Medical Information Officer. He continues, “At the end of the day, our technology standardizes health care tasks. This allows the care givers to spend less time hunting for information, and more time caring for you.”

Survey respondents completed 659 surveys, representing 1,713 hospitals, or roughly 30 percent of all U.S. hospitals. Deaconess received this same recognition in July 2012, and earned Stage 7 HIMSS status in early 2012. HIMMS Analytics® tracks the rate of adoption of EMR by identifying 8 stages of completion. Stage 7 is considered the pinnacle of an environment where paper charts are no longer used to deliver patient care.