Confluence Health Named 2018 Chime Healthcare's Most Wired Recipient

Many hospitals and health systems using healthcare IT to improve delivery of care are using those technologies to better support their mission of providing value-based care. The most successful organizations apply this technology strategically to achieve great outcomes.

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Healthcare’s Most Wired survey designated Confluence Health Hospital | Central Campus for 2018 Most Wired recognition at the CHIME Fall CIO Forum in San Diego. CHIME made a report based on an analysis of survey results available today as well.

HealthCare’s Most Wired, now in its 20th year, traditionally tracked the adoption of healthcare IT in hospitals and health systems. The goal is to identify best practices and promote the strategic use of healthcare IT to elevate the health and care of communities around the world.

“At Confluence Health, we are committed to providing safe, high-quality care in a compassionate and cost-effective manner,” said Chief Information Officer Robert Pageler. “Using health care technology effectively allows us to be as efficient as possible while streamlining workflows for our Providers. This allows them to focus even more on the reason we’re all here – giving our patients the exceptional care they deserve.”

The report found two key emerging technological improvements in 2018: the use of foundational technologies such as integration, interoperability, security and disaster recovery; and the use of transformational technologies to support population health management, value-based care, patient engagement and telehealth.

CHIME president and CEO Russel Branzell said “The technology is important, but leadership and a strategic vision are equally important. The diversity of the organizations that earned Most Wired status 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 report findings fell into the two categories of foundational and transformational technologies. Highlights under foundational technologies include:

• Nearly all use firewalls, dispose devices containing personal health information properly and secure mobile devices with passwords but many lack other fundamental authentication and safeguarding procedures.
• Almost all physicians have electronic access to the EHR and other resources but only half have access to these resources using mobile applications.
• 68 percent believe they could restore operations within 24 hours if a disaster caused complete loss of their primary data center.

Highlights under transformational technologies include:

• Most provider organizations’ population health strategies target diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, heart disease and hypertension but few target behavioral health, sickle cell anemia and end-stage renal disease. Confluence Health’s population health strategies address all of these issues.
• For patient engagement, 81 percent report capabilities like email and more than half offer satisfaction surveys; 67 percent offer secure email exchange with a member of home care team and 38 percent offer virtual patient visits.
• Most offer conveniences such as requesting a prescription renewal or paying a bill through a patient portal; 90 percent offer a mobile patient portal; and nearly all offer access to test results and visit summaries.
• About half use ePrescribing for controlled substances and 48 percent have their ePrescribing module connected to a prescription drug monitoring program.

About CHIME

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) 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 services 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 and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.