Fort HealthCare Earns College of Healthcare Information Management Executives Most Wired Award

Fort HealthCare has once again received the distinction of Most Wired™ Hospital for 2018. This recognition is awarded by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) every year to select hospitals across the country via results of their Most Wired™ Survey. Fort HealthCare is one of 9 hospitals in Wisconsin to receive this honor. For a full list of winners, visit www.chimecentral.org.

The mission of the CHIME Healthcare’s Most Wired program is to elevate the health and healthcare of communities around the world through the optimal use of information technology (IT). The annual survey is designed to identify and recognize healthcare organizations that exemplify best practices through their adoption, implementation, and use of IT.

As stated in CHIME’s 11/2/18 press release announcing the survey results, “Healthcare’s Most Wired, now it its 20^th year, traditionally tracked the adoption of healthcare It in hospitals and health systems. CHIME took over the Most Wired program and revised the survey questions and methodology this year to highlight strengths and gaps in the industry, with the goal being to identify best practices and promote the strategic use of healthcare IT to elevate the health and care of communities around the world.”

Russell Branzell, president and CEO of CHIME notes, “Healthcare IT has the potential to revolutionize care around the world, but to meet that potential, it must be used strategically.” The technology is important, but leadership and strategic vision are equally important. The diversity of the organizations that earned Most Wired this year shows quality care can be achieved almost anywhere under the right leadership. By sharing the best practices in Most Wired, we hope quality care will one day be available everywhere.”

The survey examines how organizations are leveraging IT to improve performance for value-based health care in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management, quality and safety, and clinical integration. To receive a Most Wired distinction, an organization must demonstrate advancement in steps taken to implement robust clinical information systems aimed at improving patient care. This includes adopting technologies to improve patient documentation, advance clinical decision support and evidence-based protocols, reduce the likelihood of medication errors, and rapidly restore access to data in the case of a disaster or outage. The survey has become a national inventory on hospital use of IT to improve operations and patient care.

One reason for Fort HealthCare’s excellence in IT is its close alignment with health care informatics leader, Cerner Corporation. Fort HealthCare and Cerner first began their journey together in 2009, when Fort HealthCare entered a 10-year, strategic alignment with Cerner ITWorks^SM.

Recent innovations include implementing digital connections that allow for patient data sharing with non-Cerner Electronic Health Records (EHRs), providing transparency for Fort HealthCare physicians. To date, the hospital has signed up over 33,000 patients through the CommonWell Health Alliance, an organization that promotes health care information sharing.

Fort HealthCare continually works with Cerner to modify and improve its EHR system and online patient portal, which is branded MyCompass. MyCompass allows individuals to manage and monitor their health and wellness, review test results and provider notes, schedule appointments, securely message their provider, track immunizations and medications, request prescription refills, and more. To learn more, visit FortHealthCare.com/MyCompass.

The Most Wired Advantage

Technology is a strong component of a high-quality healthcare delivery system and helps empower patients to be an even stronger partner in their own healthcare. Technology – in the form of electronic health records, mobile technologies, and secure data collection – makes it easier for patients and providers to interact with each other, which improves communication and understanding about health conditions and treatments.

New and more advanced interactive tools are helping patients become more actively involved in their care and maintaining their health. Fort HealthCare’s development teams keep these tools in mind when planning for future advancements in communication, patient engagement, and helping to improve patients’ overall health.

Fort HealthCare President and CEO, Mike Wallace, states, “The future of health care continues to change, but what remains constant is that good health is all about prevention. We are continually working on ways for our providers and programs to deliver the best possible care both effectively and efficiently for our patients and their families. Being able to provide the interactive tools that we offer to both clinicians and patients, as well as the integrity and quality of the health data that we are able to collect, help maximize our effectiveness in our mission to make our communities the healthiest in Wisconsin.”

The American Hospital Association acknowledges that now more than ever, hospitals are using data and analytics to foster a culture of self-improvement; they are strengthening patients’ ability to obtain, use, and share their own data and records securely, and they are offering innovative access to care through secure messaging, telehealth, and mobile app services. Hospitals are also taking cybersecurity seriously with frequent system audits and staff trainings.

Fort HealthCare Executive Director of Population Health and Clinical Services, Chris Barron, R. Ph., states, “The largest advances we’ve made are the ability to use data and analytics in real time to identify and close gaps in care, as well as prove to patients, providers, payers, and regulatory agencies, the high quality care we deliver.”

Barron continues, “This idea of improved quality equates to saving lives through timely, preventive screenings, as well as improved chronic condition management allowing patients to live their healthiest lives possible. Sophisticated analytics tools, and patient outreach tools like MyCompass, work together to engage patients in their care.”

Fort HealthCare

Fort HealthCare is committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities, with a vision to be the healthiest community in Wisconsin. As the leading healthcare provider in the region, it is our goal to reach as many members of the community as possible with health and wellness messages, providing tools and resources to help individuals improve their health and quality of life, while collaborating with several partners to positively improve the population’s health overall on a long-term basis. For more information, visit FortHealthCare.com.

Cerner

Cerner’s health information technologies connect people, information and systems at more than 25,000 provider facilities worldwide. Recognized for innovation, Cerner solutions assist clinicians in making care decisions and enable organizations to manage the health of populations. The company also offers an integrated clinical and financial system to help health care organizations manage revenue, as well as a wide range of services to support clients’ clinical, financial and operational needs. Cerner’s mission is to contribute to the systemic improvement of health care delivery and the health of communities. For more information, visit cerner.com.

About CHIME

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 2,700 members in 51 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional service firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health an healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, visit www.chimecentral.org.