Brookwood Hospitals Named in Nations Most Wired List for 2nd Year

Contact:
Kate Darden,
BHS Vice President, Marketing
205-715-5196
[email protected]

Lindsey Allumbaugh
PR Manager, Tenet Southern Region
678-232-7724
[email protected] 

Most Wired Hospitals Using Technology to Better the Patient Experience

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – July 07, 2016 – For the second consecutive year, four hospitals in the Brookwood Baptist Health system  have been recognized as some of the nation's "Most Wired" hospitals and health systems according to the 18th annual Health Care's Most Wired® survey, released last week by the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Health Forum.

“Brookwood Baptist Health is honored to be recognized for a second year as an industry leader in health information technology,” says Dr. Chris Davis, Chief Information Officer for Brookwood Baptist Health. “Technology is constantly improving the efficiency of care we deliver to our community and creates a new dynamic in our patient interactions.”

In redefining the way that hospitals, like those in the Brookwood Baptist Health system, provide care in their communities, 2016 Most Wired hospitals are using technology to build patient engagement with the individual’s lifestyle in mind, which includes electronic access to their care team.

• 68 percent accept patient-generated data through the patient portal.
• 26 percent of Most Wired organizations offer E-visits through a mobile application.
• 61 percent use social media to provide support groups.

“Hospitals are breaking-out of their traditional four walls and providing care where and when patients need it,” said Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the AHA. “These Most Wired hospitals exemplify this transformation by harnessing technology, engaging patients and offering services remotely. And, removing policy and other barriers to telehealth will allow even faster adoption of these amazing technologies.”

According to the survey, Most Wired hospitals are using telehealth to fill gaps in care; provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; and expand access to medical specialists. This year’s results show: 

• The top three telehealth services offered in hospitals are consultations and office visits, stroke care, and psychiatric examinations and psychotherapy.
• Stroke care is the most rapid growth area for telehealth services up 38 percent from 2015, as evidence-based studies emphasize the time urgency of stroke care.
• More than 25 percent of hospitals use internet-enabled monitoring devices for chronic disease management of congestive heart failure, diabetes and heart disease.

Cybersecurity is just one of the areas shown to be getting a lot of attention in the results of the 2016 Health Care’s Most Wired survey. As new capabilities are built out, hospitals are also taking strong actions to ensure health data is secure. More than 90 percent of the hospitals use intrusion detection systems, privacy audit systems and security incident event management to detect patient privacy breaches, monitor for malicious activities and produce real-time analysis of security alerts.

The versatility of mobile technologies makes it possible for clinicians and care team members to have the right tools for sound clinical decision-making wherever they are: 81 percent of Most Wired hospitals use mobile applications to notify clinicians of sudden changes in patient conditions and correlated events such as falls or respiratory distress or failure.

HealthCare’s Most Wired® survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, 2016, is published annually by Health & Hospitals Networks (H&HN). The 2016 Most Wired® survey and benchmarking study is a leading industry barometer measuring information technology (IT) use and adoption among hospitals nationwide. The survey of 680 participants, representing an estimated 2,146 hospitals—more than 34 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.  For a full list of winners, visit www.hhnmag.com.

 # # #

About Brookwood Baptist Health
With roots extending more than 90 years, Brookwood Baptist Health includes trusted providers from the former Brookwood Medical Center and Baptist Health System and is operated by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp.  Representing the largest healthcare network in Central Alabama, the network’s community of care is comprised of five acute care hospitals with more than 1,700 licensed beds: Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, Princeton Baptist Medical Center, Shelby Baptist Medical Center, Walker Baptist Medical Center and Citizens Baptist Medical Center. Brookwood Baptist Health also provides patients with the largest primary care network in the state, along with physician practices, diagnostic and outpatient surgery centers and a freestanding emergency department. Brookwood Baptist Health is united in service and devotion to the people of Central Alabama and dedicated to putting people back at the center of healthcare.  For more information, please visit BrookwoodBaptistHealth.com.

About the American Hospital Association
The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit www.aha.org.