Texas Children’s named among 2016 “Most Wired” hospitals in the nation

July 12, 2016

71316MostWired640Texas Children’s has received the 2016 “Most Wired” designation for outstanding health care-based technology from Hospitals Health Network Magazine – the flagship publication of the American Hospital Association. This is the third time Texas Children’s has won this award.

Health Care’s Most Wired Survey, conducted between January 15 and March 15, asked hospitals and health systems nationwide to answer questions regarding their information technology (IT) initiatives in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management, quality and safety, and clinical integration. The survey of 680 participants represented 2,146 hospitals – more than 34 percent of all U.S. hospitals.

“This designation is a tribute to the hard work of our Information Services team and clinical and operational partners at Texas Children’s,” said Myra Davis, senior vice president of Information Services. “We use this survey as a benchmark to measure our progress against our peers in the implementation of information technology and to ensure we are making the right technology investments to guide our strategy for improving patient care and safety.”

Texas Children’s was noted for several IS achievements including the implementation of Epic Rover, a mobile software application that uses barcode technology to prevent medication errors and improve the quality and safety of medical administration. This new technology was implemented in September 2015 and its effectiveness in promoting patient safety was recently highlighted in a Voice of Nursing blog.

Epic Rover is an extension of the electronic medication administration record (MAR) in Epic. Once this software is downloaded to an iPod Touch equipped with a scanner or sled, the barcodes on both the patient’s wristband and the prescribed medication are scanned at the patient’s bedside. The medication documentation then flows real-time into the MAR in Epic to ensure that the “five rights” are confirmed – right patient, right medication, right dose, right time and right route of administration.

Texas Children’s was also commended for using innovative alarm management technology to make alarms more meaningful and actionable for direct care providers while eliminating alarm fatigue within patient units. This new application resulted in the organization receiving ECRI’s 10th Annual Health Devices Achievement Award in 2016.

Other IS accomplishments include:

  • Optimizing clinical workflows – Since mobility is a critical factor in optimizing work flows, Epic’s mobile application suite allows providers to e-prescribe medications. Implemented in March 2016, this electronic feature improves the safe and secure transmission of patient health information among providers and optimizes patient experience by eliminating the need to drive to the clinic to obtain a prescription.
  • Advancing population health management – Health tools and registries were recently introduced within Epic for key patient populations such as those with asthma and diabetes. By leveraging data analytics, physicians can track and address patient needs, and easily pinpoint unmet needs and gaps in data or service delivery. Proactive steps can then be taken to ensure patients and their families receive the services they need to make a difference in their care and improve clinical outcomes.
  • Streamlining physician/patient communications – Voalte technology used by nursing, shared services and physicians has streamlined communication across the care continuum by enabling highly mobile staff to receive key notification alerts that require prompt action. The MyChart patient portal continues to grow in usage and capabilities. New options have been added making it easier for patient families to schedule appointments, send non-urgent messages to their care team and pay their bills online via MyChart billing.

“In health care today, health IT maturity is key in advancing outcomes and experience,” said Julie McGuire, director of Enterprise Systems for Information Services. “The Most Wired designation shows that Texas Children’s is leading not only in clinical care but in the use of technology to support and advance clinical care.”

The 2016 Most Wired Survey is published by Health & Hospitals Network. The July H&HN cover story detailing results is available at www.hhnmag.com.