Hospitals & Health Networks, the journal of the American Hospital Association (AHA), has once again recognized CentraState Medical Center as one of the nation’s Most Wired health care organizations for the seventh year in a row, according to the results of the magazine’s annual survey. The prestigious distinction recognizes healthcare organizations that have successfully adopted information technology (IT) in four critical areas: infrastructure; business and administrative management; clinical quality and safety; and clinical integration.
CentraState has invested nearly $50-million in health IT over the past 10 years as part of its ongoing commitment to enhance patient engagement and health data security. CentraState’s participation in the Most Wired process was a significant factor in being one of the first hospitals in the country to be recognized as a Meaningful User of Technology by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) since 2013.
“We are extremely proud of this recognition by the AHA,” says John Ulett, vice president and chief information officer, CentraState Healthcare System. “Most Wired status is a testament to our commitment of delivering better patient care with the use of well-designed and implemented computer software systems. Effective communication between caregivers and clinical decision support systems help to prevent complication, reduce errors, eliminate duplication, and improve patient safety—all which creates a better patient experience overall.”
Health IT initiatives implemented at CentraState include Cerner Soarian Clinicals, the hospital’s primary clinical inpatient documentation system. Soarian allows physicians and other clinicians to immediately access electronic health records, patient test results and other medical information in real time. Other initiatives include computerized physician order entry, electronic medical records, medication bar-coding and medication reconciliation.
The Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study, conducted annually, is a joint project of the American Hospital Association, Hospital & Health Networks and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and is sponsored by VMware.
About The American Hospital Association
The AHA is the largest non-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 includes more than 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, and 43,000 individual members.
About CentraState
CentraState Healthcare System is a nonprofit community health organization consisting of an acute-care hospital, a health and wellness campus, three senior living communities, a Family Medicine Residency Program, and a charitable foundation. CentraState’s teaching program is sponsored by Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.