For the second time in as many years, Tomah Health has been recognized for using technology to enhance care and patient interactions.
Hospitals & Health Networks (H&HN) has named its Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems, which included Tomah Health as a “Most Wired” facility among small and rural facilities across the U.S.
“It’s a validation that our administration, our leadership and our staff members all have to use technology to get the most positive clinical outcomes,” Tomah Health Information Systems director LaVonne Smith said of the recognition. “It’s that forward thinking that utilizes technology to support our community needs.”
The list was determined according to results of the 19th Annual Health Care’s Most Wired® survey, released by the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Health Forum.
“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.”
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.
“What I’m most proud of is that we initiated a new program this year with telehealth,” explained Smith. “This is a new program for behavioral services and offers the opportunity to our community to have follow up via telehealth with providers that specialize in behavioral services.”
She said technology also enables staff to use data from the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR) to help analyze clinical outcomes and look for opportunities to improve processes at Tomah Health.
“At the end of every day for our organization, it is about supporting our staff who do their very best work to provide the very best care to our patients,” said Smith. “It is a validation of the amazing work that is being done by our leaders, managers, staff that have proven results that we are worthy of this designation.”
Tomah Health was one of 22 health care facilities in Wisconsin to appear on the list and among two named in the small and rural division.
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 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.