Christiana Care Earns Place Among Nation’s Most Wired Hospitals

(NEWARK, Del. – August 18, 2017)) Christiana Care Health System has again been selected as one of the Most Wired Hospitals in the United States by the American Hospital Association, a reflection of the health system’s success at using technology to advance its strategic goals.

Christiana Care was one of only about 425 health systems selected as a 2017 Most Wired Hospital, based on results of the recent 19th Annual Health Care’s Most Wired Survey. It examined which health systems can best drive improvements to care and the patient experience through the use of technology. There are more than 5,000 hospitals in the United States.

“Technological innovation helps us orient ourselves toward providing value-based care,” said Chief Information Officer Randall Gaboriault, MS, senior vice president of Innovation and Strategic Development. “We’re investing in the resources to engage our patients in their care by giving them the ability to take ownership over their health records and communicate with providers on their own terms.”

The survey spans nearly every facet of healthcare technology — including continuous improvement, data analysis, patient access to providers and, new in 2017, data restoration after a disaster. Christiana Care was also selected as a Most Wired hospital system in 2016.

Through the use of technology, Christiana Care has improved the quality of care, increased access to care and improved the experience of patients. Initiatives include:

· Real-time data integration: The Christiana Care Value Institute created an algorithm to predict hospital patients at risk of a medical emergency. Using patient data, including vital signs and nursing documentation, the warning — called the Christiana Care Early Warning Score — can pick up on the subtle signs of clinical deterioration, potentially saving lives.

· Reducing unnecessary variation in care: Christiana Care’s service lines work with IT professionals to tap patients’ electronic health records to guide them toward optimal care. This allows Christiana Care’s clinical pathways to be tailored at the individual patient level.

· Cybersecurity: Christiana Care uses a tool that sends out phishing look-alike emails to employees to help keep them vigilant against digital intrusion. Employees who mistakenly click on these links are led to information about how to spot fraudulent emails designed to lure employees to divulge sensitive information.

· Curbing service duplication: Easily accessible patient records allow physicians, including in the emergency department, to avoid duplication of care. Christiana Care’s patient health records are linked with the Delaware Health Information Network, allowing physicians to seamlessly access information about a patient’s medical history across multiple providers.

HealthCare’s Most Wired survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15 of this year, is published annually by Health & Hospitals Networks, a leading healthcare publication that chronicles the values and ideas that drive the new era in healthcare. The 2017 Most Wired survey and benchmarking study is considered a leading industry barometer measuring information technology use and adoption among hospitals nationwide. The survey of 698 participants represents an estimated 2,158 hospitals and examines how organizations are leveraging information technology to improve performance for value-based healthcare in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management, quality and safety, and clinical integration.

Christiana Care’s Most Wired Hospital accolade is the latest in a long list of IT recognitions, which include awards from the U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, Computerworld, InformationWeek 500, CIO 100, Premiere 100, Tech Impact, the Interactive Media Association, and many more.

About Christiana Care Health System

Christiana Care Health System is one of the country’s largest health care systems, ranking as the 22nd leading hospital in the nation and 11th on the East Coast in terms of admissions. The health system includes The Medical Group of Christiana Care, a network of primary care physicians, medical and surgical specialists as well as home health care, preventive medicine, rehabilitation services and patient/family advisors for core health care services. A not-for-profit teaching hospital affiliated with Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Christiana Care is recognized as a regional center for excellence in cardiology, cancer and women's health services. Christiana Care has an extensive range of outpatient services and works closely with its medical staff to achieve better health, better access to care and lower cost. Christiana Care is home to Delaware's only Level I trauma center, the highest capability center and the only one of its kind between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Christiana Care features a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, the only delivering hospital in Delaware that offers this highest level of care to the most critically ill newborns. Christiana Care includes two hospitals with 1,100 patient beds.