NEWS
Saint Peter’s named a Most Wired hospital
July 23, 2014
Saint Peter’s named a Most Wired hospital for cutting-edge use of health information technology Award is the 3rd straight for the hospital since 2012
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Saint Peter’s University Hospital has been named one of the nation’s Most Wired hospitals for the third year in a row, according to the 2014 Health Care’s Most Wired Survey by Hospitals and Health Networks. Most Wired hospitals are those that have leveraged the adoption and use of health information technology to improve performance by focusing on expanding and adopting information technology that advances patient care and optimizes patient flow and communications.
As the nation’s health care system transitions to more integrated and patient-centered care, hospitals are using information technology to better connect disparate care providers, according to the 16th annual Most Wired Survey. For instance, 67 percent of Most Wired hospitals share critical patient information electronically with specialists and other care providers. Most Wired hospitals, those that meet a set of rigorous criteria across four operational categories, have made tremendous gains by using IT to reduce the likelihood of medical errors. Among Most Wired hospitals, 81 percent of medications are matched to the patient, nurse and order via bar code technology at the bedside.
According to Ronald C. Rak, JD, president and CEO of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, “Most Wired award winners are recognized for their implementation and distinguished use of information technology in the four areas of infrastructure, administration, clinical quality and safety. Saint Peter’s is honored to be a recipient of the Most Wired award for a third consecutive year, a mark of achievement that is unmatched in Central Jersey.”
Among the numerous IT advancements instituted by Saint Peter’s in recent years are an advanced electronic medical records system, electronic prescribing and prescription refills, and allowing patients to book appointments and make payments online.
“Only the nation’s most innovative hospitals attain this elite honor by making great strides in establishing the building blocks for creating robust clinical information systems at improving patient care,” said Hospitals and Health Networks in a statement.
“The Most Wired data show that shared health information allows clinicians and patients to have the information they need to promote health and make the most informed decisions about treatments,” says Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. “Hospitals, their clinicians and their communities are doing tremendous work to enhance their IT systems in ways that support care and delivery improvement, and patient engagement goals.”
Among some of the key findings related to improving quality and patient safety:
- Nurses and physicians share best practices for patient safety and use checklists at more than 90 percent of Most Wired organizations.
- To help consumers make better decisions about their health care, standard measures of individual hospital quality performance are reported and publicly available. Nearly half of Most Wired organizations share this information on their websites and 86 percent provide quality scores to clinical leaders on a regular basis as part of their performance improvement initiatives.
"Hospital leaders should be commended for the hard work they've done under an unrealistic time frame,” states Russell P. Branzell, president and CEO of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, referring to federal requirements that health care providers adopt and meaningfully use a certified electronic health records. “Still, there is a substantial amount of work ahead. Effective C-suites view IT adoption as a collaborative effort. They have a clear strategic plan and know how IT fits into that."
To that end, nearly all participants in the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study have an established health IT project governance process and evaluate existing workflow processes and desired outcomes.
Saint Peter’s Healthcare System is a founding member of the New Jersey Health Connect Health Information Exchange, which facilitates the electronic exchange of data to providers in accordance with patient health care directives.
“Saint Peter’s has been aggressively implementing information technology for the benefit of patient care since 2009,” said Frank DiSanzo, chief information and strategy officer for Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. “Saint Peter’s was one of the first hospitals in the state to introduce bar-coded medicine administration to ensure the “five” rights (right dose, right patient, right provider, right drug, right time to administer). In addition to winning the Most Wired award in 2012, 2013 and again this year, we have won the Information Week Top 100 Innovators award annually from 2011 through 2013 as well.”
About Saint Peter’s Healthcare System
Saint Peter’s Healthcare System Inc., parent company of the Saint Peter’s healthcare delivery system, is comprised of Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a 478-bed acute-care teaching hospital; Saint Peter’s Foundation, the fundraising arm of the hospital; and Saint Peter’s Health and Management Services Corp., which oversees the system’s outpatient facilities. These include the CARES Surgicenter; New Brunswick Cardiac Cath Lab; Community Care Services Inc.; the Margaret McLaughlin McCarrick Care Center Inc., a residential skilled nursing facility in Somerset; and Saint Peter’s Adult Day Center in Monroe Township. Saint Peter’s Healthcare System is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. For more information about Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, please visit www.saintpetershcs.com or call 732-745-8600.