"With technology, we have given clinicians immediate access to patient information, whether in the hospital, in their private offices or at home," says Lifespan Chief Information Officer Carole M. Cotter. "By accessing this information electronically, physicians and nurses are able to provide patient care more quickly and efficiently, which leads to better outcomes for our patients."
The survey's criteria include physician adoption of computerized order entry. According to the survey, fewer than half of the 100 Most Wired have full adoption by physicians. Lifespan is among that group: At its three acute care hospitals, between 80 and 90 percent of all orders – including medication, lab and radiology – are entered electronically by physicians, far surpassing national rates.
The nation's 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems are listed in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. Since 1999, the magazine has surveyed the nation's hospitals on their use of information technology to accomplish key goals, including safety and quality objectives. This year 502 surveys were submitted, representing 1,255 hospitals. The survey was conducted in conjunction with Accenture, IDX Systems Corporation and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
This year's Most Wired data show three significant differences in how hospitals apply and use information technology to improve care:
- Most Wired hospitals use a wider array of IT tools to address quality and safety than other organizations, including: computerized physician order entry, bedside electronic medication matching, automated alerts and reminders, physician portals and electronic patient surveillance.
- Among the Most Wired hospitals, significantly larger percentages of physicians enter orders themselves, compared with other organizations.
- The Most Wired hospitals conduct a larger percentage of clinical transactions – the number of doses ordered and the number of medications matched to the patient – via information technology.
All clinical areas in Lifespan's four hospitals have wireless capabilities, allowing patient care to be delivered more immediately and efficiently. For example, wireless carts or handheld devices enable physicians and nurses to access patient information from the bedside, thus getting quicker test results and delivering medication to the patient more quickly. Physicians are also able to view test results from wired or wireless computers – whether in the hospital, at their private offices, or from home.
"Our wireless infrastructure provides physicians, clinicians, and caregivers immediate access to patient information at the point of care – anytime, anywhere," says Lifespan Chief Technology Officer David Hemendinger. "Having the data available at the bedside minimizes errors, provides timely delivery of treatments, and brings together the right information at the right time, which ultimately is better for the patient."
Lifespan, a not-for-profit organization, is Rhode Island's largest health care system. Formed in 1994, it includes Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children's Hospital; The Miriam Hospital; Bradley Hospital and Newport Hospital. Lifespan (www.lifespan.org) is the state's largest private employer, with more than 10,000 employees, and is affiliated with Brown Medical School. Lifespan hospitals are among the top recipients of research funding from the National Institutes of Health, receiving more than $47 million combined each year. Lifespan has been recognized nationally for being at the leading edge of technology in health care, winning the 100 Most Wired, 25 Most Wireless, CIO 100, and CEO IT Achievement awards.