Among nation’s best at using technology to partner with patients for better health

Riverside Medical Center has been designated as a 2017 Health Care’s Most Wired® Hospital by the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Health Forum.

“The Most Wired distinction is an accomplishment we can certainly be proud of at Riverside,” said Riverside’s President and CEO Phil Kambic. “From our recent implementation of a fully-integrated electronic medical records system to our advanced information technology monitoring systems for patient safety and security, we embrace technology as a tool to deliver the very best care for better experiences and outcomes."

Technology has changed everyone’s lives – increasing communication, providing convenience and permitting greater access to information quickly with the click of a mouse. New tools and interactive technologies in health care, like those at Riverside, are helping patients to become more actively involved in their care and their ability to maintain their health.

According to the results of AHA Health Forum’s 19th Annual Health Care’s Most Wired® Survey, Most Wired hospitals are using smartphones, telehealth and remote monitoring to create more ways for patients to access health care services and capture health information.

This year’s results show:

• 76 percent offer secure messaging with clinicians on mobile devices.
• When patients need ongoing monitoring at home, 74 percent use secure e-mails for patients and families to keep in touch with the care team.
• 68 percent simplify prescription renewals by letting patients make requests on mobile devices.
• 62 percent add data reported by patients to the electronic health record to get a better picture of what is going on with the patient.
• Nearly half of the hospitals are using telehealth to provide behavioral health services to more patients.
• 40 percent offer virtual physician visits.

“Technologies such as Riverside's MyChart (Riverside’s secure online patient portal) allow us to interact with patients anywhere, anytime,” said Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Information Officer Dr. Keith Moss. “It provides them with unprecedented access to their own medical information and allows for a much more collaborative relationship between patient and provider.”

Riverside MyChart, the healthcare system’s secure online patient portal, provides patients with access to their health records and test results. Patients who enroll in Riverside MyChart may message doctors’ offices, request prescription refills or pay a bill online. Recently, Riverside included MyChart’s online scheduling feature to offer patients the convenience of selecting appointment times and dates that meet their needs.

“The Most Wired hospitals are using every available technology option to create more ways to reach their patients in order to provide access to care,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “They are transforming care delivery, investing in new delivery models in order to improve quality, provide access and control costs.”Innovation in patient care embraces emerging technologies and underscores the need for secure patient information exchange. Hospitals have increased their use of sophisticated IT monitoring systems to detect patient privacy breaches, monitor for malicious activities or policy violations and produce real-time analysis of security alerts.

• 97 percent use intrusion detection systems.
• 96 percent perform data access audits.
• Nearly 90 percent run targeted phishing exercises to teach employees to question suspicious emails.

“Riverside’s IT infrastructure focuses on protecting our patient’s safety and security,” said Kyle Hansen, director of information services. “Confidentiality and adherence to regulations are what drives our team.”

Most Wired hospitals are transforming care delivery with knowledge gained from data and analytics.

• 82 percent analyze retrospective clinical and administrative data to identify areas for improving quality and reducing the cost of care.
• Three-quarters use sophisticated analytics such as predictive modeling and data to improve decision-making.
• Nearly 70 percent interface electronic health record data with population health tools for care .

HealthCare’s Most Wired® survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, 2017, is published annually by Hospitals & Health Networks (H&HN). The 2017 Most Wired® survey and benchmarking study is a leading industry barometer measuring information technology (IT) use and adoption among hospitals nationwide. The survey of 698 participants, representing an estimated 2,158 hospitals — more than 39 percent of all hospitals in the U.S. — examines how organizations are leveraging IT to improve performance for value-based health care in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management; quality and safety; and clinical integration.

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.

About the Most Wired Survey

The 2017 Most Wired Survey is conducted in cooperation with the American Hospital Association and Clearwater Compliance, LLC.

About the American Hospital AssociationThe AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit www.aha.org.

About Health Forum

Health Forum is a strategic business enterprise of the American Hospital Association, creatively partnering to develop and deliver essential information and innovative services to help health care leaders achieve organizational performance excellence and sustainability. For more information, visit www.healthforum.com.

About Clearwater Compliance, LLC | https://clearwatercompliance.com/

Clearwater Compliance, LLC is a leading provider of healthcare compliance and cyber risk management solutions. Its mission is to empower hospitals and health systems to successfully manage healthcare’s evolving cybersecurity risks and ensure patient safety. Exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association, Clearwater solutions have been deployed within hundreds of hospitals and health systems, Fortune 100 organizations and federal government institutions. More information about Clearwater Compliance is at http://www.Clearwatercompliance.com.