A rising tide lifts all boats. That is an apt
analogy for HealthCare's Most Wired program
under the leadership of the College of
Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
At CHIME, we believe that sharing best practices nationally
and globally across the healthcare IT industry will improve
patient safety and outcomes everywhere. Most Wired will
help us achieve that goal, and more.
Most Wired is celebrating its 20th
year as the industry's benchmark of
quality in healthcare IT, and its first
year under CHIME. We are honored
to now oversee the program,
which has raised awareness and
appreciation of the important role
IT plays in our hospitals and health
systems. At CHIME, we know that
technology alone is not sufficient;
we need astute leaders who see how technology can be
applied to improve patient outcomes. IT has changed
exponentially over the past two decades, as has the role
of the executives who oversee the technology and related
support staff. Their position has expanded from being skilled
technicians to being strategic and visionary leaders and
innovators. Most Wired is a tribute to the organizations and
dedicated people in them who are transforming healthcare
and improving patient outcomes.
The 2018 CHIME HealthCare's Most Wired survey and
recognition program has retained many features that
participants value, but it also includes several important
changes designed to raise standards and reward innovation.
Among the changes are:
RESTRUCTURING THE GOVERNING BOARD: We put in
place a new governance structure to address industry
concerns regarding program leadership, transparency and
potential conflicts of interest and bias. The Governing Board
is operating under a new charter to guide direction and
future vision. There are no sitting chief information officers
(CIOs) on the Governing Board, ensuring no organizational
biases.
REDESIGNING THE SURVEY: The 2018 survey underwent
a top-to-bottom review designed to streamline the survey,
improve data accuracy and reduce redundancy. In keeping
with our goal to raise the bar in healthcare and improve
patient outcomes, we introduced a rigorous assessment
process and new survey questions that reflected
contemporary practice. We will continue to update and
revise survey questions to ensure Most Wired recognizes
practices that drive high quality care.
ADDING TRANSPARENCY: Because the survey relies on
self-reported data, we instituted a transparent auditing
and validation process to verify results. We also created
a transparent appeals process that allows a participant to
appeal to the Audit and Validation Work Group.
SCORING: We developed a 100-point scale scoring
methodology to capture all basic and advanced healthcare
IT functions, with the latter weighted more heavily.
HIGHER STANDARDS: We raised the threshold to receive
recognition this year, and we will continue to set a high bar
to ensure Most Wired remains a resource that continually
drives improvement in patient safety and outcomes.
Each year we will recalibrate the threshold to measure
advancements in healthcare IT, which means the threshold
will change annually as the survey advances.
BENCHMARK REPORTS: Each participant received
a benchmark report with their overall score and a
breakdown in each section of the survey, which they can
use as a strengths and gap analysis tool.
INDUSTRY TRENDS REPORT: This is a new additional
benefit to the program and the industry. The 12-page
report highlights trends in the industry based on an
analysis of the survey data.
RECOGNITION: We will continue to recognize participating
hospitals and health systems that meet the high standards
set in this year's Most Wired program. The 2018 recipients
were honored at the 2018 CHIME Fall CIO Forum.
Thanks to our 2018 participants, the tide is already
rising. We now have a reliable snapshot of the current
state of the industry and a map to guide healthcare
organizations toward excellence. We have identified
practices to improve patient safety and outcomes, and we
will continue to look for new and better ways to serve our
communities. Together, we are raising the standards of
care – and saving lives.
