The MetroHealth System Named 2017 Most Wired

For the fourth consecutive year, The MetroHealth System is being recognized as a Most Wired hospital.

Technology is making it easier for patients and providers to interact, which is improving communication, safety and patient-provider relationships. These new tools are helping patients become more actively involved in their care and maintaining their health, according to results of the 19th Annual Health Care’s Most Wired® survey, released today by the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Health Forum. 

“Being recognized for the fourth year in a row as one of the nation’s Most Wired health care systems shows the steadfast commitment we have to supporting our community through information technology,” says Donald Reichert, Vice President, Chief Information Officer. “As the transformation at MetroHealth continues, an area of focus is to build on are member touch points that will ultimately improve the population health of Northeast Ohio. Tools like telehealth – and the use of data analytics – will allow our patients to benefit from using innovative IT solutions. These technologies help us become connected with each other, and more importantly, with our patients.”

According to the survey, Most Wired hospitals are using smart phones, telehealth and remote monitoring to create more ways for patients to access health care services and capture health information.

This year’s results show:

• When patients need ongoing monitoring at home, secure e-mails can be used by patients and families to keep in touch with the care team.

  • MetroHealth patients can do this through MyChart.

• Patients can simplify prescription renewals by make requests on mobile devices.

  • MetroHealth patients can do this through MyChart

• Patients can add data reported to the electronic health record to get a better picture of what is going on with their health.

  • MetroHealth patients can enter blood pressure, blood sugar and weight online through MyChart.

• MetroHealth is using telehealth to provide behavioral health services to more patients through MyChart.

• MetroHealth offers behavioral health, cardiology, infectious disease, internal medicine, neurology, and physical medicine and rehabilitation MyChart video visits.

“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:

• MetroHealth uses intrusion detection systems to monitor potential data breeches.

• The System's security and compliance teams perform data access audits.

• MetroHealth runs targeted phishing exercises to teach employees to question suspicious emails.

Most Wired hospitals are transforming care delivery with knowledge gained from data and analytics. They are investing in analytics to support new delivery models and effective decision-making and training clinicians on how to use analytics to improve quality, provide access and control costs.

MetroHealth:

• Analyzes retrospective clinical and administrative data to identify areas for improving quality and reducing the cost of care.

• Has started to interface electronic health record data with population health tools for care management.

• Uses a patient pathway using health IT data to follow a care plan.

• Provides physicians with quality metrics to continuously improve their ways of practicing medicine.

HealthCare’s Most Wired® survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, 2017, is published annually by Health & Hospitals 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.