Michael Olgren. Courtesy Mercy Health St. Mary’s
Seven hospitals in the region are considered among the “most-wired” hospitals in the country.
The American Hospital Association’s Health Forum and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives released the 17th-annual edition of “HealthCare’s Most Wired” this month, recognizing West Michigan hospitals among 338 organizations nationwide for their excellence in information technology.
Hospitals are recognized based on how well they’re adopting, implementing and leveraging IT in four areas: infrastructure; business and administrative management; clinical quality and safety; and clinical integration.
“Most Wired” hospitals in West Michigan
Battle Creek VA Medical Center, Battle Creek
Bronson Battle Creek, Battle Creek
Bronson Lakeview Hospital, Paw Paw
Bronson Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo
Lakeland Healthcare, St. Joseph
Mercy Health St. Mary’s, Grand Rapids
Metro Health, Wyoming
Regionally wired
Dr. Michael Olgren, chief medical information officer at Mercy Health St. Mary’s, said the hospital has a fantastic staff of physicians, nurses and support personnel who eagerly use new technology introduced by the IT department.
“I am constantly asked questions such as, ‘When will we get this next new app?’ or ‘Can we have our electronic health records do this?’” Olgren said. “In just the first six months of this year, we have already added several new applications to improve patient care.”
William Lewkowski, chief information officer at Metro Health in Wyoming, said the organization is committed to providing the best experience for patients and clinical teams.
“The effective use of technology is key to that experience,” Lewkowski said. “Metro Health has always been a leader in the early adoption of technology.”
Survey results
The “Most Wired” survey compiled and analyzed data from roughly 741 hospitals and health systems, which represent more than 39 percent of all U.S. hospitals.
The survey reveals a number of facts about IT in health care: 94 percent are investing in privacy audit systems; 83 percent are investing in data loss prevention; 79 percent conduct incident-response exercises or tabletop tests annually; roughly 81 percent communicate with patients through email or alerts; and 76 percent facilitate orders and scheduling information exchange among providers through a physician portal.
For “Most Wired” organizations, 89 percent offer access to patient portals through a mobile application, which is up from 58 percent in 2014.
Other “Most Wired” in Michigan
Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center, Saginaw
Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak
Henry Ford Health System, Detroit
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, Kalkaska
Memorial Healthcare, Owosso
Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital, Cadillac
Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital, Grayling
Munson Medical Center, Traverse City
Oakwood Healthcare, Dearborn
Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital, Frankfort
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland, Pontiac
University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor
West Shore Medical, Manistee
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