Published on July 14, 2010

Genesis Health System Most Wired For Seventh Straight Year

Genesis Health System is again the only hospital or health system in the region to be recognized for its use of advanced technology to provide patients with the highest standards of safety and quality of care.

Genesis has been selected as one of the nation's 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems for seven consecutive years, the most consecutive years on the list for any hospital or health system in Iowa. The 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems are named by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine based on the use of information technology to accomplish key goals, including safety and quality objectives.

Iowa Governor Chet Culver helped Genesis celebrate the recognition on Wednesday by participating in a hands-on tour of health care technology that has been implemented by Genesis in recent years. The governor later participated in a Genesis voter education forum.

"Genesis is well ahead of most health care organizations in the country in its use of technology to benefit our patients,'' said Rob Frieden, Vice President of Information Technology, Genesis Health System. "The technology implemented by Genesis in recent years has resulted in fewer medical errors, improved safety and quality of care for patients and has created efficiencies to help us control costs.

"Despite a soft economy, Genesis continues to push forward with its investment in technology to benefit our patients.''

The 100 Most Wired list is based on the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study conducted annually by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, which is the journal of the American Hospital Association. Nearly 1,300 hospitals, or about 22 percent of U.S. hospitals, submitted data for the 2010 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study.

The nation's 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems demonstrate better outcomes in patient safety, risk-adjusted mortality rates and other key quality measures through the use of information technology, according to analysis.

This year's survey revealed:

• 51% of medication orders were done electronically by physicians at Most Wired hospitals, up from 49 percent last year.
• More than half (55 percent) of Most Wired hospitals match medication orders at the bedside through bar coding or radio-frequency identification, up from 49 percent in 2009.

Highlights in the use of health information technology in the past year at Genesis included bar coding of patient wristbands and medications to reduce medication administration errors, the transition of Genesis Health Group offices from paper records to electronic records and electronic prescribing of medications using Cerner PowerWorks solutions.

More than 100,000 electronic prescriptions have already been written within Genesis Health System.

With each implementation of advanced medical technology, the focus of Genesis is on patient care and safety. For example, bar coding, electronic prescribing of medications and electronic medical records all help reduce errors even further.

"Whenever we look at implementing new technology, our first priority is always the patient and the care delivery process.'' Frieden said. "Will the new technology make our patients safer? Will it provide them with a better patient experience?

"And finally, will the new technology also create efficiencies for our caregivers and staff? At Genesis, we recognize the important link between the use of information technology and patient safety and quality of care.''

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