KANSAS CITY, Kan.— The University of Kansas Hospital has maintained its status as one of the nation's Most Wired healthcare facilities.
For the sixth consecutive year the hospital has won the prestigious award from Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.
The award is based on how well healthcare facilities use information technology to support quality care and patient outcomes. (Read the magazine article and 2013 Most Wired list.)
"This year's Most Wired organizations exemplify progress through innovation” said Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. "The hospital field can learn from these outstanding organizations ways that IT can help to improve efficiency.”
The University of Kansas Hospital is one of three in the Kansas City metro to win Most Wired status this year. Roughly 30 percent of U.S. hospitals – 659 entries representing 1,713 hospitals – competed in this year's award.
Sean Roberts, Healthcare Information Technology Services director for the hospital, said the award increasingly emphasizes IT systems that support meaningful use – electronic health records meeting standards set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
"Most Wired is not about who has the most computers and wires,” he said. "It's about how your IT systems and electronic medical records help physicians and staff care for patients.”
CPOE (computerized provider order entry for medication) remains one of the hospital's IT strengths, which was an important factor in this year's Most Wired award, Roberts said.
