DOI: 10.1097/01.COT.0000290941.60406.9c

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Issn Print: 0276-2234

Publication Date: 2005/10/25


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Hospital Outcomes & IT

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Excerpt

The nation's 100 most wired hospitals and health systems, which have invested significantly in health information technology, have lower mortality rates than other hospitals, according to a new analysis released in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.
While the new survey does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship between information technology use and improved outcomes, it demonstrates that technology can play an important role in quality.
Since 1999, the magazine has surveyed the nation's hospitals on their use of information technology to accomplish key goals, including safety and quality objectives. Based on a detailed scoring process, the magazine annually names the 100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems.
This year 502 surveys were submitted, representing 1,255 hospitals. The most wired hospitals use a wider array of IT tools to address quality and safety, have a significantly larger percentage of physicians who enter orders themselves, and conduct a larger percentage of clinical activities via information technology.
According to an outcomes analysis conducted for the magazine by Solucient, the 100 most wired hospitals have an average risk-adjusted mortality rate that is 7.2% lower than other hospitals, even after controlling for the size of the hospital and teaching status.
Hospitals & Health Networks conducted the 2005 survey in cooperation with Accenture, IDX Systems Corporation, and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. The July H&HN cover story detailing results is available at www.hhnmg.com.
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