St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Named 2014 Most Wired; The Only Hospital in the Hudson Valley to Receive this Distinction
Newburgh, NY- St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital (SLCH) has been acknowledged as a leader in the utilization of information technology to better connect community care providers. SLCH has been named 2014 Most Wired, according to the 16th annual Health Care's Most Wired Survey, conducted by Hospitals & Health Networks and is the only hospital in the Hudson Valley to receive such distinction.
With this recognition, SLCH is noted for meeting a set of rigorous criteria across four operational categories including infrastructure, business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety as well as clinical integration. The hospital is also noted for having made tremendous gains by using IT to reduce the likelihood of medical errors.
"We are using advanced technologies to enhance the overall coordination of care among our patients," said Cletis Earle, SLCH Vice President, Chief Information Officer. "This is a collaborative effort among our Care Transitions Team and community providers, all of whom follow individual patients through their care. Electronic Medical Records help make the transition of care a more efficient process."
The 2014 Most Wired Survey also covered the evolution of new care and payment models from the IT perspective. As health care delivery moves to a value-based system, it will require better use of data analytics, care coordination and population health management.
"Our information technology resources, along with the use of business intelligence models to analyze data, give us the ability to better coordinate patient care with our community partners," said Robert S. Ross, SLCH President and CEO. "These efforts have helped us reduce hospitalizations, decrease the number of avoidable readmissions and directly increased patient satisfaction."
Through the sharing of electronic data, SLCH aims to improve patient care in both the inpatient and outpatient settings by providing real time results and assisting patients to navigate the health care system more efficiently.
SLCH is also participating in the New York State (NYS) Patient Portal, one of the first states in the country to offer a patient portal to all of its residents.
"Hospital leaders should be commended for the hard work they've done under an unrealistic time frame," states Russell P. Branzell, president and CEO of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, referring to federal requirements that health care providers adopt and meaningfully use a certified electronic health records (EHR).
Health Care's Most Wired Survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, asked hospitals and health systems nationwide to answer questions regarding their IT initiatives. Respondents completed 680 surveys, representing 1,900 hospitals, or more than 30 percent of all U.S. hospitals.
St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital (SLCH) is a not-for-profit community hospital with campuses in Newburgh and Cornwall, NY. The hospital is dedicated to serving the health care needs of the Hudson Valley and aspires to excellence in the delivery of compassionate and comprehensive health care services. SLCH offers comprehensive cardiac, stroke, cancer and orthopedic services and a full range of other clinical offerings. For more information, go to http://www.stlukescornwallhospital.org/ or http://www.facebook.com/stlukescornwallhospital
