UCSF Medical Center Named One of 2015’s 'Most Wired' Hospitals

UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco have been named one of HealthCare’s Most Wired™ for 2015, in recognition of the focus on security and patient engagement through information technology.

Health data security and patient engagement are top priorities for the nation’s hospitals, according to the results of the 17th annual HealthCare survey released July 9, by the American Hospital Association’s Health Forum and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).

The 2015 Most Wired™ survey and benchmarking study, in partnership with CHIME and sponsored by VMware, Inc., is a leading industry barometer that measures information technology (IT) use and adoption among hospitals nationwide. The survey of more than 741 participants, representing more than 2,213 hospitals, examined how organizations are leveraging IT to improve performance for value-based health care in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management, quality and safety, and clinical integration.

“UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco are honored to receive this prestigious award recognizing them as one of the nation’s most wired hospitals,” said Mark R. Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. “The UCSF information technology groups that support our complex business and our mission are critical to enabling us to provide health care that meets the needs of patients and their families, now and in the future. The new UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, which features some of the world’s most leading-edge technology, is a prime example of our IT commitment.”

According to Joe R. Bengfort, chief information officer (CIO) of UCSF, the advanced use of electronic health records integrated with new mobile technologies providing clinical communications, alarm management and analytical dashboards has helped the UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco care teams collaborate efficiently and stay connected with the patients and each other.

“We commend and congratulate this year’s Most Wired hospitals and their CIOs for improving care delivery and outcomes in our nation’s hospitals through their creative and revolutionary uses of technology,” said CHIME CEO and President Russell P. Branzell, FCHIME CHCIO. “These Most Wired organizations represent excellence in IT leadership on the frontlines of health care transformation.”

Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the AHA, said, “At the forefront of the field, these hospitals are setting the bar for protection of patient data through discerning security measures.”

HealthCare’s Most Wired™ Survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, 2015, is published annually by Health & Hospitals Network. Respondents completed 741 surveys, representing more than 39 percent of all U.S. hospitals. Last October, the AHA/Health Forum and CHIME announced the formation of a Most Wired partnership to enhance collaboration between the two organizations in the development and sustainability of the survey, and to collectively help meet the growing demand for useful data on health IT integration.

Detailed results of the survey and study can be found in the July issue of H&HN.

About UCSF

UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy, a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences, as well as a preeminent biomedical research enterprise and two top-ranked hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco.

About the American Hospital Association

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is the national organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. Nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members come together to form the AHA. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.

About the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME)

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,500 CIO members and over 150 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve.

About Health Forum

Health Forum is a strategic business enterprise of the American Hospital Association, creatively partnering to develop and deliver essential information and innovative services to help health care leaders achieve organizational performance excellence and sustainability.

About Our Sponsor

VMware is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility. Built on VMware's industry-leading virtualization technology, our solutions deliver a brave new model of IT that is fluid, instant and more secure. Customers can innovate faster by rapidly developing, automatically delivering and more safely consuming any application. With 2014 revenues of $6 billion, VMware has more than 500,000 customers and 75,000 partners. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world.

VMware is a registered trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. The use of the word “partner” or “partnership” does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.

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