Hospitals & Health Networks released its 16th annual list of the nation's "Most Wired" hospitals, recognizing 375 hospitals for successful health IT planning and implementation, Healthcare IT News reports (Miliard/McCann, Healthcare IT News, 7/9).

Details of Survey

The list was compiled through a survey conducted in partnership between:

• The American Hospital Association;
• AT&T;
• CareTech Solutions;
• The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives;
• Hospitals & Health Networks; and
• McKesson.

This year, the survey was completed by 680 hospitals and health systems accounting for more than 1,900 hospitals, or more than 30% of all U.S. hospitals.

The survey evaluates hospitals based on four focus areas:

• Business and administrative management;
• Clinical integration, for ambulatory, physician, patient and community;
• Clinical quality and safety -- for both inpatient and outpatient hospitals; and
• Infrastructure.

Survey Findings

Overall, 375 hospitals achieved the "Most Wired" designation for effectively employing technologies, such as alerts and medication matching at patients' bedsides and computerized provider order entry.

Specifically, the survey found:

• 71% of hospitals on the "Most Wired" list manage care transitions, compared with 57% of survey respondents overall;
• 69% of hospitals on the "Most Wired" list use tools for retrospective analysis of clinical and administrative data, compared with 55% of all respondents;
• 43% of hospitals on the "Most Wired" list integrate clinical and claims data, compared with about 34% of all respondents; and
• 36% of hospitals on the "Most Wired" list compile data from patient encounters to create a community health record, compared with 27% of all respondents.

In addition, the survey found that of hospitals on the "Most Wired" list:

• 82% provide patients with access to an online portal to check test results;
• 58% offer a mobile health application that provides access to a patient portal;
• 53% offer patients access to an online portal for chronic disease self-management tools; and
• 40% provide secure messaging technology.

In addition, the survey identified areas in which CIOs expect to face challenges. Survey respondents said the next hurdles will involve:

• Data analytics;
• Population health; and
• Push toward value-based care model (Weinstock, Hospitals & Health Networks, 7/9).