COLUMBIA, MD—For the 12th time, MedStar Health is one of the nation’s Most Wired, and is among an elite group of 19 hospitals and health systems receiving an “Advanced” designation, out of the 414 named to the Most Wired list. This designation indicates MedStar meets the criteria for “Advanced” in all of the Most Wired survey areas.
The Most Wired list is based on results of the 18th Annual Health Care’s Most Wired® Survey, released July 6, by the American Hospital Association (AHA) Health Forum. The survey reveals technology is improving the efficiency of care delivery and creating a new dynamic in patient interactions, and MedStar is recognized as a leader.
“Technology fuels our ability to connect to our patients, clinicians, and myriad of outpatient sites, in addition to other health organizations,” explained Mark Schneider, interim chief information officer, MedStar Health. “Leveraging technology to integrate a growing number of players across the continuum of care is essential to providing the best patient outcomes.”
MedStar has made significant investments in technology to improve connectivity and access to care across its Distributed Care Delivery Network. To better serve patients, MedStar recently launched a telehealth initiative allowing patients to initiate online visits with physicians and implemented clinical information sharing with area Minute Clinics, inside CVS stores. MedStar is even making it easier for patients to book online appointments and communicate with physicians in hospitals and ambulatory care sites.
MedStar recognizes improved connectivity relies on enhancing its patient portal and Electronic Health Record (EHR), including Health Information Exchange (HIE) technology. Work in this area allows MedStar to share vital patient data with patients and physicians across all venues of care within and, as appropriate, outside the network. Increasing access to this patient data—even when physicians are away from their offices, and on mobile devices—ensures care providers may meet patients needs whenever and wherever they need it.
“As the healthcare industry embraces a more integrated, value-based care model, it is even more important to ensure protected access and seamless connectivity to patient information at all points of care across the healthcare continuum,” says MedStar Health President and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth A. Samet, FACHE. “Technology is critical to presenting a more comprehensive picture of our patients’ health among all clinical teams across the system, and it is a vital component of our commitment to serve patients, those who care for them and our communities as the trusted leader in caring for people and advancing health.”
HealthCare’s Most Wired® survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, 2016, is published annually by Health & Hospitals Networks (H&HN). The 2016 Most Wired® survey and benchmarking study is a leading industry barometer measuring Information Technology (IT) use and adoption among hospitals nationwide. The survey of 680 participants, representing an estimated 2,146 hospitals—more than 34 percent of all hospitals in the U.S.—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.
Detailed results of the survey and study can be found in the July issue of H&HN. For a full list of winners, visit www.hhnmag.com.
About MedStar Health
MedStar Health is a not-for-profit health system dedicated to caring for people in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, while advancing the practice of medicine through education, innovation and research. MedStar’s 30,000 associates, 6,000 affiliated physicians, 10 hospitals, ambulatory care and urgent care centers, and the MedStar Health Research Institute are recognized regionally and nationally for excellence in medical care. As the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University, MedStar trains more than 1,100 medical residents annually. MedStar Health’s patient-first philosophy combines care, compassion and clinical excellence with an emphasis on customer service. For more information, visit MedStarHealth.org.
