Three Lafayette General Hospitals Named “Most Wired”

Three Lafayette General Health hospitals have been recognized for being at the forefront of information technology and named among the nation’s “Most Wired.” Lafayette General Medical Center (LGMC), Lafayette General Surgical Hospital (LGSH) and St. Martin Hospital (SMH) are named in the 2015 Healthcare’s Most Wired survey published in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.

Most Wired hospitals are recognized for meeting a set of rigorous competency criteria and using health information technology (IT) to improve performance in a number of areas, including protecting patient data, optimizing patient flow and communications, and reducing the likelihood of medical errors. The survey is released by the American Hospital Association’s Health Forum and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).

Among the more than 2,200 participating hospitals in the U.S., LGMC, LGSH and SMHwere the only Acadiana hospitals honored. Only one other hospital in the state received the award. In fact, LGSH was the only physician-owned facility from Louisiana to be included on the Most Wired list.

LGMC has been named Most Wired every year since 2012. “As our health system grows, it is vital that we enhance information technology to improve quality of care, enhance patient safety and reduce costs at all our facilities,” says Michael Dozier, VP/Chief Information Officer for Lafayette General Health.

“We are very excited to be recognized along with our other Lafayette General partners for the Most Wired award,” says LGSH Administrator Carrie Templeton. This is also the third year in a row LGSH has been named Most Wired.

St. Martin Hospital Interim CEO Bryan Laperouse, FACHE adds, “Our hospital strives to bring the most advanced technology to St. Martin Parish. This award shows how we continue to flourish under Lafayette General Health by incorporating the newest, safest and most effective health care strategies available.”

According to the 2015 Most Wired survey, these hospitals are taking more aggressive privacy and security measures to protect and safeguard patient data. Top growth areas in security among this year’s Most Wired organizations include privacy audit systems, provisioning systems, data loss prevention, single sign-on and identity management.

The survey also reports that hospitals are utilizing IT to better facilitate information exchange across health care settings. This includes greater alignment between hospitals and physicians. According to the survey, the patient portal is a key factor in strengthening physician-hospital alignment. LGMC, LGSH and SMH all utilize a patient portal.

Additionally, Lafayette General now has two jobsite telemedicine clinics and one school location providing real-time clinical access and care.

“These Most Wired organizations represent excellence in IT leadership on the frontlines of health care transformation,” says CHIME President Russell P. Branzell, FCHIME, CHCIO.

Lafayette General was recently recognized for being the highest-rated healthcare entity in Computerworld magazine’s “Best Places to Work” listing.