Lafayette General Health Named 2017 Most Wired

Lafayette General Health (LGH) has been named a winner of the 2017 Most Wired award by the American Hospital Association (AHA). It’s the second year in a row LGH has received this honor as a health system. Lafayette General Medical Center earned Most Wired accolades each year since 2012.

LGH is one of two healthcare providers in Acadiana named Most Wired. Opelousas General Health System, a collaborative partner of LGH was also recognized. On the state level, Ochsner Health System (OHS) in New Orleans also received the Most Wired Award. Both LGH and OHS are members of the Ochsner Health Network.

Technology is making it easier for patients and providers to interact, thus improving communication, safety and patient-provider relationships. New tools are helping patients become more actively involved in their care and maintaining their health, according to results of the 19th Annual Health Care’s Most Wired® survey, released today by the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Health Forum.

Lafayette General Health participates in workplace and school-based telemedicine clinics in Lafayette and St. Martin parishes. Telemedicine is also used at LGH hospitals in Acadia and Vermillion parishes. All LGH hospitals and its Urgent Care Centers share an electronic medical records system, which means patient data is updated instantly and accurately at any LGH facility. LGH patients are also offered an online patient portal, where records are securely stored and can be accessed by the patient at any time.

HealthCare’s Most Wired® survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, 2017, is published annually by Hospitals & Health Networks (H&HN). The 2017 Most Wired® survey and benchmarking study is a leading industry barometer measuring information technology (IT) use and adoption among hospitals nationwide.

According to the survey, Most Wired hospitals are using smart phones, telehealth and remote monitoring to create more ways for patients to access health care services and capture health information. This year’s results show:

• 76 percent offer secure messaging with clinicians on mobile devices.
• When patients need ongoing monitoring at home, 74 percent use secure e-mails for patients and families to keep in touch with the care team.
• 68 percent simplify prescription renewals by letting patients make requests on mobile devices.
• 62 percent add data reported by patients to the electronic health record to get a better picture of what is going on with the patient.
• Nearly half of the hospitals are using telehealth to provide behavioral health services to more patients.
• 40 percent offer virtual physician visits.
• More than 40 percent provide real-time care management services to patients at home for diabetes and congestive heart failure.

“We are proud that we continue to be at the forefront of national trends in using technology across our system,” says David L. Callecod, FACHE, President of LGH. “Our technology platform provides patients with a better experience and improved care and outcomes. Our work is helping LGH thrive in a value-based reimbursement environment.”

Another advancement of LGH’s technology platform is the Sepsis Prevention Indicator within the electronic medical record. The platform notifies the clinician when a combination of symptoms indicates the potential for sepsis or septic shock. Since implementation, many cases of sepsis have been averted thanks to timely intervention best determined through advanced technology.

“The Most Wired hospitals are using every available technology option to create more ways to reach their patients in order to provide access to care,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “They are transforming care delivery, investing in new delivery models in order to improve quality, provide access and control costs.”

Innovation in patient care embraces emerging technologies and underscores the need for secure patient information exchange. Hospitals have increased their use of sophisticated technology monitoring systems to detect patient privacy breaches, monitor for malicious activities or policy violations and produce real-time analysis of security alerts.

• 97 percent use intrusion detection systems.
• 96 percent perform data access audits.
• Nearly 90 percent run targeted phishing exercises to teach employees to question suspicious emails.

Most Wired hospitals are transforming care delivery with knowledge gained from data and analytics. They are investing in analytics to support new delivery models and effective decision-making and training clinicians on how to use analytics to improve quality, provide access and control costs.

• 82 percent analyze retrospective clinical and administrative data to identify areas for improving quality and reducing the cost of care.
• Three-quarters use sophisticated analytics such as predictive modeling and data to improve decision-making.
• Nearly 70 percent interface electronic health record data with population health tools for care management.
• More than 70 percent are providing data analytic tools training to physicians and nurses.
• 45 percent initiate a patient pathway using health technology to follow a care plan.
• Nearly 40 percent deliver quality metrics to physicians at the point-of-care.
• 32 percent have tools for real-time patient identification and tracking for value-based care conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Detailed results of the survey and study can be found in the July issue of H&HN. For a full list of winners, visit hhnmag.com.