HealthPartners named among Most Wired in nation

‘Most Wired’ health systems and hospitals leverage IT to connect providers and patients

MINNEAPOLIS — Tuesday, July 14, 2015 — HealthPartners has been recognized as one of the ‘Most Wired’ health care organizations in the country, according to the 2015 “HealthCare’s Most Wired” survey released by the American Hospital Association Health Forum and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives.

This is the sixth consecutive year HealthPartners has been recognized for its leadership in using IT to improve health care performance across a rigorous set of criteria in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management, quality and safety, and clinical integration.

“We’ve taken a proactive approach to address the rise in patient data breaches and cybersecurity attacks in the health care industry,” said Alan Abramson, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at HealthPartners. Patient engagement and health data security are top priorities for many U.S. hospitals, according to results of the 17th annual HealthCare's Most Wired™ survey.

The Most Wired honor recognizes effective use of electronic medical records and technology at six HealthPartners hospitals (Amery Regional Medical Center, Hudson Hospital and Clinics, Lakeview Health, Methodist Hospital, Regions Hospital and Westfields Hospital) and at HealthPartners clinics which includes Park Nicollet Specialty Center in Maple Grove.

This year marks the 17th anniversary of the survey, with more than 741 participants and 2,213 hospitals (39 percent of all U.S. hospitals) taking part. The number of hospitals and health systems selected as Most Wired is 338 organizations, down 10 percent from last year due to additional requirements – many related to meaningful use Stage 2. HealthPartners was an early adopter of electronic health records and has been building upon this technology for more than 15 years.

“Over the years, HealthPartners has made significant investments in Health IT and workflow design,” said Kim LaReau, vice president of care delivery information systems, HealthPartners. “While many IT departments are challenged to keep up with the pace, we remain at the forefront of these changes. Being recognized as a Most Wired organization again this year reflects both the success we’re having with our approach, and the dedication of our teams.”

A full list of the 2015 Most Wired results and more details on the survey are available at hhnmag.com.