08.10.05

Hospital outcomes and IT: New analysis explores connection

Hospital outcomes and IT: New analysis explores connection

Chicago (July 12, 2005)— Laughlin Memorial Hospital has been named one of the nation’s Top 25 Most Wired Small and Rural Hospital’s according to the results of the 2005 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study, released today.

The nation’s 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems – those that have invested significantly in health information technology – have lower mortality rates than other hospitals, according to results of a new analysis released today 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, Hospitals & Health Networks 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.

“There are three key differences in how hospitals apply and use information technology to improve care,” says Alden Solovy, executive editor of Hospitals & Health Networks, the journal of the American Hospital Association (AHA). “The Most Wired use a wider array of IT tools to address quality and safety, they have a significantly larger percentage of physicians who enter orders themselves and they 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, on average, risk-adjusted mortality rates that are 7.2 percent lower than other hospitals, even after controlling for the size of the hospital and teaching status.

“This is the first analysis showing that the nation’s top tech hospitals also have better outcomes,” Solovy says. The analysis compared mortality results for the 2005 list of Most Wired with the rest of the nation.  Solovy cautions that the analysis does not establish a causal relationship between IT and outcomes.

“It’s not a random observation, even if it is not necessarily cause and effect,” says Kaveh Safavi, M.D., Solucient’s chief medical officer. In fact, hospitals surveyed say that IT is one component of quality.

“Thoughtful institutions that pay attention to quality are also interested in clinical information technology,” says Graham Hughes, M.D., vice president of product strategy for IDX Systems Corp. “This adds increasing weight to the notion that careful implementation of clinical IT contributes to better care.”

Hospital CIOs say that information technology has a key role in both targeted safety efforts and overall systemic improvement to quality and patient safety.  “This study reflects the potential for change that is sweeping the industry,” said Lewis B. Redd, partner, Accenture Health & Life Sciences.  "We're entering an era where the IT-enabled integration and analysis of health information are central to better decisions, processes and outcomes.” 

Hospitals & Health Networks conducted the 2005 survey in cooperation with Accenture, IDX Systems Corporation and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). The July H&HN cover story detailing results is available at www.hhnmag.com.

The Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study measures the nation’s hospitals on their use of information technologies for quality, customer service, public health and safety, business processes and workforce issues. Results from the survey were used to name the 100 Most Wired, as well as the 25 Most Improved, the 25 Most Wireless and the 25 Most Wired—Small and Rural.

About the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study

Hospitals & Health Networks, the journal of the American Hospital Association, conducts the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study annually and names the 100 Most Wired. Solucient provides comprehensive, results-oriented information to drive business growth, manage costs, and help deliver quality care. Solucient conducted the mortality analysis. Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. IDX Systems Corporation is a leading provider of software, services and technologies for health care provider organizations. CHIME was formed with the dual objective of serving the professional development needs of healthcare chief information officers and advocating the more effective use of information management within health care.

Hospitals in Tennessee which were awarded

Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp., Memphis (Most Improved)

Vanderbilt University Hospital, Nashville (Most Wired)

Covenant Health, Knoxville (Most Wired and Most Wireless)

Laughlin Memorial Hospital, Greeneville (Most Wired – Small and Rural)

Second Year in a row