Vidant Health named among the 2015 Most Wired health systems | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Press Release:

Nation's Most Wired hospitals improve efficiency with health information technology

    CHICAGO - Vidant Health has been recognized as one of the nation's "Most Wired" health systems in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. Health data security and patient engagement are top priorities for the nation's hospitals, according to results of the 17th annual HealthCare's Most Wired™ survey, released by the American Hospital Association's Health Forum and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).

    The 2015 Most Wired ™ survey and benchmarking study, in partnership with CHIME and sponsored by VMware, is a leading industry barometer measuring information technology (IT) use and adoption among hospitals nationwide. The survey of more than 741 participants, representing more than 2,213 hospitals, examined how organizations are leveraging IT to improve performance for value-based healthcare in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management, quality and safety, and clinical integration.

    This year marks the twelfth time Vidant Health has earned the Most-Wired status.

    "Leading access, patient and family experience, and clinical outcomes are the primary goals of Vidant Health," said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of Vidant Health. "Our recent recognition as leaders in these areas has been greatly facilitated by the support our great people have from our clinical information systems."

    According to the survey, hospitals are taking more aggressive privacy and security measures to protect and safeguard patient data. Top growth areas in security among this year's Most Wired organizations include privacy audit systems, provisioning systems, data loss prevention, single sign-on and identity management. The survey also found:

    79 percent of Most Wired organizations conduct incident response exercises or tabletop tests annually, a high-level estimate of the current potential for success of a cybersecurity incident response plan, compared to 37 percent of all responding hospitals.

    83 percent of Most Wired organizations report that hospital board oversight of risk management and reduction includes cybersecurity risk.

    As hospitals and health systems begin to transition away from volume-based care to more integrated, value-based care delivery, hospitals are utilizing IT to better facilitate information exchange across the care settings. This includes greater alignment between hospitals and physicians. According to the survey, the physician portal is a key factor in strengthening physician-hospital alignment:

• In 84 percent of Most Wired organizations, physicians can view and exchange other facilities' results in the portal compared with 63 percent of hospitals surveyed.
• 76 percent use the portal and electronic health record (EHR) to exchange results with other EHRs and health information exchanges compared to 56 percent of those surveyed.
• 81 percent can communicate with patients via email or alerts in contrast to 63 percent of all respondents.

    In June, Vidant Health announced that it is working with the Veterans Administration to share health information on veterans treated at Vidant Health facilities. The VA's Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) Health Exchange program gives VA and non-VA health care providers secure access to certain parts of veterans' electronic health records.

    Allowing VA and non-VA health care providers to share health information saves time and gives providers a better understanding of history and overall health. Rather than mailing or carrying printed health information from one provider to another, veterans can give providers immediate access to health information electronically. This information helps providers make more informed decisions, which improves the overall quality and safety of health care.

    Driven beyond the requirements of Meaningful Use Stage 2, this year's Most Wired hospitals are utilizing the benefits of a patient portal to get patients actively involved in their health and healthcare. For instance, 89 percent of Most Wired organizations offer access to the patient portal through a mobile application. Other key findings include:

• 67 percent of Most Wired hospitals offer the ability to incorporate patient-generated data.
• 63 percent offer self-management tools for chronic conditions.
• 60 percent offer patient-specific education in multiple languages.

    Earlier this year, all Vidant Medical Group physician practices and clinics received Stage 6 designation of the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model. This designation honors the organization's accomplishments to implement technology solutions that have the ability to improve patient safety and quality of care. All Vidant Health hospitals achieved this designation in 2014 and, after an annual evaluation in April, received word that they will maintain the Level 6 designation for another year.

    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.

    Vidant Health, a mission-driven, not-for-profit corporation, owns, leases or has a majority membership interest in eight eastern North Carolina hospitals. The health system includes Vidant Beaufort Hospital, Vidant Bertie Hospital, Vidant Chowan Hospital, Vidant Duplin Hospital, Vidant Edgecombe Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital, Vidant Medical Center, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Vidant Home Health and Hospice; Vidant Wellness Centers, Vidant Medical Group and physician practices, and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.vidanthealth.com.