Aurora news releases

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Winners excel in information technology in five key areas

Aurora Health Care has been named one of the top 100 Most Wired health systems for the second consecutive year by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. Aurora is the only Milwaukee area health care system to receive the recognition.

The Most Wired Awards are based on the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study that asks hospitals to report on how they use information technology to address five key areas: safety and quality, customer service, business processes, workforce, and public health and safety.

“We are extremely pleased to be named to the list for both 2004 and 2005,” said Jack Steinman, vice president of information services for Aurora Health Care. “It illustrates our commitment to provide the most advanced health care to our patients by using the most advanced technology. Aurora has continually been on the leading edge of new ways to provide efficient, quality care to patients throughout eastern Wisconsin.”

“Aurora eICU^® Care is a prime example in which we harnessed technology to enable advanced monitoring of critically ill patients by not one, but two, teams of health professionals – one on-site and another at a remote location. Aurora Health Care was the first health system in Wisconsin to have this technology, which helps save lives and money. Other examples where technology helps us make great strides is with disease management, increased efficiency to schedule appointments and renew prescriptions,” said Nick Turkal, MD, Aurora’s senior clinical vice president.

The 2005 Most Wired data show three significant differences in how hospitals apply and use information technology to improve care:

• Most Wired hospitals use a wider array of IT tools to address quality and safety than other organizations, including: computerized physician order entry, bedside electronic medication matching, automated alerts and reminders, physician portals and electronic patient surveillance.
• Among the Most Wired, significantly larger percentages of physicians enter orders themselves, compared with other organizations.
• The Most Wired conduct a larger percentage of clinical transactions—the number of doses ordered and the number medications matched to the patient—via information technology.

The awards will be presented during the American Hospital Association Leadership Summit July 28-30 in San Diego, Calif.

About the study

The 2005 survey was made possible through a partnership among H&HN, Accenture, CHIME and IDX Systems Corp. The online survey was available Jan. 15 through March 15. Responses represent projects implemented as of March 1, 2005.

About Aurora Health Care

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a national leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora offers care at sites in more than 80 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin.

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Contact:  Ron Irwin (414-647-3405)