Navicent Health Named 2017 Most Wired Advanced

Technology is making it easier for patients and providers to interact, thus improving communication, safety and patient-provider relationships. 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 July 10, 2017 by the American Hospital Association's (AHA) Health Forum.

Atrium Health Navicent in Macon, Ga. is the only healthcare organization in the state and one of only 27 nationwide to achieve Most Wired Advanced status. In order to achieve Advanced designation, Atrium Health Navicent exceeded core development in the four focus areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety, and clinical integration.

"At Atrium Health Navicent, we are continuing to pursue technological advances in order to best serve the needs of healthcare consumers. Whether through the development of mobile apps or advances in telehealth technology, Atrium Health Navicent continues to lead the region in providing access to healthcare services in the most convenient, user-friendly and consumer-focused manner," said Omer Awan, Chief Information Officer for Atrium Health Navicent.

"At Atrium Health Navicent, we are committed to providing consumers access to quality care at the right time and in the right place. In the twenty-first century, that time is now and that place is here, wherever that may be. Through technology, healthcare consumers now have immediate access to the care they need, as soon as they need it. We applaud our IT Team for the measures they have taken to best meet the needs of those who depend on Atrium Health Navicent for timely care," said Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, President and CEO of Atrium Health Navicent.

According to the survey, Most Wired hospitals and health systems like Atrium Health Navicent 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: 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.

More than 40 percent provide real-time care management services to patients at home for diabetes and congestive heart failure.

"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.

Most Wired hospitals and health systems 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. 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 management.

More than 70 percent are providing data analytic tools training to physicians and nurses.

45 percent initiate a patient pathway using health IT to follow a care plan.

Nearly 40 percent deliver quality metrics to physicians at the point-of-care.

32 percent have tools for real-time patient identification and tracking for value-based care conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

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 and health systems 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.

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

The 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.

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.

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.

Atrium Health Navicent was incorporated on November 17, 1994, as a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose is to coordinate the Medical Center, Navicent Health and other affiliated entities in their mission of providing a comprehensive continuum of high quality, reasonably priced healthcare services to the region. Atrium Health Navicent has 830 beds for medical, surgical, rehabilitation and hospice purposes. The health system includes The Medical Center, Navicent Health, a nationally recognized tertiary teaching hospital; Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children's Hospital, the region's only dedicated pediatric hospital; Medical Center of Peach County, Atrium Health Navicent, a rural critical access hospital; Rehabilitation Hospital, Atrium Health Navicent, the region's oldest and most experienced rehabilitation provider; Pine Pointe, Atrium Health Navicent, which provides palliative and hospice care in homes and in its facility; Carlyle Place, Atrium Health Navicent, the area's first continuing care retirement community; Navicent Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Atrium Health Navicent; as well as diagnostic and home care services. For more information, please visit www.navicenthealth.org.