UnityPoint Health® was recognized for the fourth year in a row as one of the nation’s “Most Wired Health Systems” by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. UnityPoint Health® – Trinity is a senior affiliate of UnityPoint Health® located in Des Moines, Iowa. UnityPoint Health received the honor for its ability to leverage information technology to improve care.
As hospitals and health systems begin to transition away from volume- to value-based care, UnityPoint Health® utilizes IT to better facilitate information exchange across care settings. This includes greater alignment between hospitals and physicians. Additionally, UnityPoint Health® focuses on getting patients actively involved in their health and healthcare through a patient portal.
“Protecting health information is a top priority for UnityPoint Health®,” said Bill Leaver, President and CEO of UnityPoint Health®. “Security is the foundation of our strategy and we work to incorporate technological innovation into the fabric of our organization – as shown by our patient portal, health tools and applications and electronic medical records. Everything we do aims to coordinate care across multiple settings so that our patients can be as engaged as possible during their wellness journey.”
The 2015 Most Wired™ survey and benchmarking study, in partnership with CHIME and sponsored by VMware, is a leading industry barometer measuring information technology (IT) use and adoption among hospitals nationwide. The survey of more than 741 participants, representing more than 2,213 hospitals, examined how organizations are leveraging IT to improve performance for value-based healthcare in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management, quality and safety, and clinical integration.
Among some of the key findings this year:
• In 84 percent of Most Wired organizations, physicians can view and exchange other facilities’ results in the portal compared with 63 percent of hospitals surveyed.
• 76 percent use the portal and electronic health record (EHR) to exchange results with other EHRs and health information exchanges compared to 56 percent of those surveyed.
• 81 percent can communicate with patients via email or alerts in contrast to 63 percent of all respondents.
• 67 percent of Most Wired hospitals offer the ability to incorporate patient-generated data.
• 63 percent offer self-management tools for chronic conditions.
• 60 percent offer patient-specific education in multiple languages.
“At UnityPoint Health®, we work to improve care delivery and outcomes for our patients through creative and revolutionary uses of technology. Harnessing information technology truly allows us to focus on providing excellent patient safety, high-quality care and decreased health care costs,” said Joy Grosser, UnityPoint Health® Chief Information Officer.
