Children’s Medical Center of Dallas Named ‘Most Wired-Advanced’ Hospital in Annual Survey by Leading Publication Hospitals & Health Networks

DALLAS – July 11, 2014 – Children’s Medical Center of Dallas has been named one of Health Care’s Most Wired™ for 2014, marking the ninth time in the last 10 years that the leading pediatric health care institution has earned this recognition from the American Hospital Association’s Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. This year, Children’s also earned “Advanced” designation – the only health care institution in Texas to achieve this designation – exceeding core development in the four focus areas of the survey.

The annual Health Care’s Most Wired Survey recognizes achievement in the use of health care IT, based on a set of rigorous criteria across four operational categories: infrastructure, business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety, and clinical integration. This year marked the 16th year of the survey.

“Children’s one of only 20 hospitals in the nation that exceeded core  development in four focus areas of survey”

“Children’s Medical Center has earned a reputation for delivering high-tech care with a personal touch through a sophisticated technology network,” said Pamela Arora, Chief Information Officer of Children’s Medical Center. “With effective implementation and technology adoption across the organization, we are able to improve patient outcomes, as well as support our mission to make life better for children. We are pleased to achieve a Most-Wired designation alongside some of the best health care organizations in the country, particularly as Children’s evolves into a comprehensive pediatric healthcare system where technology will play a critical role in connecting facilities, patients, and clinicians across the continuum of care.”

Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, added, “The Most Wired data show that shared health information allows clinicians and patients to have the information they need to promote health and make the most informed decisions about treatments. Hospitals, their clinicians and their communities are doing tremendous work to enhance their IT systems in ways that support care and delivery improvement, and patient engagement goals.”

The Most Wired designation follows other recent recognitions which Children’s Medical Center has received for its innovative and secure use of technology to improve health care delivery, patient safety and return on investment:

• In April 2014, Children’s was the first and only hospital in Texas to receive the Texas Covered Entity Privacy and Security Certification by the Texas Health Services Authority (THSA) and the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST), which recognized Children’s commitment to protect the privacy of its patients’ health care information.
• In January 2014, Children’s earned the Common Security Framework (CSF) Certified status for information security by the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST), placing Children’s in an elite group of organizations worldwide that have earned this certification.
• In December 2013, Children’s was named a 2013 Enterprise HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence winner by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), which recognizes excellence in the use of electronic health records (EHRs) to successfully improve the delivery of health care and patient safety while achieving a demonstrated return on investment.

Arora noted that Children’s continually identifies and evaluates ways to incorporate technologies that extend the institution’s delivery of health care beyond the hospital and into local communities as well as those in other areas of the state. For example, in late 2013, Children’s launched the state’s first dedicated neonatal telemedicine program – the Children’s Medical Center TeleNICU. The program provides physicians in other hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) with 24-hour access to the highly trained, board-certified UT Southwestern neonatologists on Children’s medical staff. Through this program, neonatologists on Children’s staff are able to consult and collaborate with neonatal units whose patients are located in remote areas. The technology supporting TeleNICU aids in efficiency by enabling consultations in real time with distant hospitals, improving the quality of care while eliminating unnecessary transportation costs.

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. The July issue of Hospital & Health Networks provides details of the results, and is available at www.hhnmag.com.

About Children’s Medical Center

Founded in 1913, the not-for-profit Children’s Medical Center is the seventh-largest pediatric health care provider in the country, receiving more than 760,000 patient visits annually at its two full-service campuses in Dallas and Plano, and multiple specialty clinics and 16 primary care MyChildren’s locations. Children’s was the state’s first pediatric hospital to achieve Level 1 Trauma status and is the primary pediatric facility affiliated with UT Southwestern Medical Center. For more than 100 years, Children’s has been dedicated to making life better for children. For more information, please visit www.childrens.com.