Lakeland, FL – Lakeland Regional Health is pleased to announce it is one of just six of the nation’s Most Wired Advanced hospitals and healthcare systems, as announced Thursday by the American Hospital Association’s Health Forum and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. This is the second time Lakeland Regional Health has achieved Most Wired™ status.
According to the American Hospital Association, there are 5,686 hospitals in the United States. Out of more than 2,213 hospitals represented in the 17th annual HealthCare’s Most Wired™ Survey, only 338 met Most Wired criteria and just six were designated Most Wired Advanced. The Most Wired Survey™ is considered an industry-standard benchmark study measuring the level of information technology adoption in hospitals and healthcare systems throughout the country.
To achieve Most Wired status, an organization must demonstrate advanced capabilities in infrastructure, business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety, and clinical integration. To receive the prestigious Most Wired Advanced award, the healthcare system must not only meet these criteria but also excel in these areas.
Lakeland Regional Health also is featured in the Most Wired cover story and on the cover of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine (www.hhnmag.com), published Thursday.
“We are very proud to be recognized as one of the top healthcare technology leaders in the country,” said Elaine C. Thompson, PhD, FACHE, Lakeland Regional Health President and CEO. “Our team works tirelessly on behalf of our patients and families to implement and use technology that is redefining healthcare.”
“Technology is our differentiator,” said Elizabeth Kerns, MSIS, Lakeland Regional Health Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “Nearly every business function and clinical process is built to leverage our technology foundation so that we provide those we are privileged to serve with exceptional care.”
Joining Lakeland Regional Health as a Most Wired Advanced healthcare system are University of California San Diego Health System; Baptist Health South Florida; Crozer-Keystone Health System, Springfield, Pennsylvania; University of Utah Health Care, Salt Lake City; and ThedaCare, Appleton, Wisconsin.
Examples of advanced technology initiatives at Lakeland Regional Health include:
- Fully digital health record implemented across Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and all Lakeland Regional Health’s ambulatory campuses.
- Patient Portal, free secure online access to the healthcare information contained in a patient’s global health record. Patient Portal allows users to safely and quickly share electronic medical information with healthcare facilities and providers. It also allows patients to add information and care providers to add home-care instructions.
- Sepsis Crawler, an electronic system that monitors a patient’s vital signs and lab results to identify patients who may be at risk of developing blood infections.
- Predictive data analytics, such as readmission predictors, which help clinical team members identify patients who may need special attention.
- Lakeland Regional Health’s Stage 6 designation for its electronic medical records systems at its ambulatory campuses and at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center. The designation is awarded by HIMSS Analytics, a not-for-profit organization that develops stages a healthcare system must go through for high-quality implementation and use of information technology applications. The final phase is Stage 7.
“Congratulations to our nation’s Most Wired hospitals for harnessing the potential of information technology to improve quality care and patient safety and lower healthcare costs,” said Rich Umbdenstock, American Hospital Association President and CEO. “At the forefront of the field, these hospitals are setting the bar for protection of patient data through discerning security measures.”
Lakeland Regional Health will be honored during the Health Forum and American Hospital Association Leadership Summit from July 23 to July 25 in San Francisco.
About the 2015 Most Wired Survey
The survey was available online from January 15, 2015, through March 15, 2015. Detailed results of the survey and study can be found in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks publication. Highlights of the study’s findings include greater alignment between hospitals and physicians, increased use of mobile apps for patient portals, and more aggressive privacy and security measures to protect and safeguard patient data. Hospitals & Health Networks, a leading publication for hospital and system executives, is published by the American Hospital Association (AHA). Nearly 5,000 healthcare systems and care providers and 43,000 individual members come together to form the AHA.