LCMC Health earns 2020 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired recognition

New Orleans, LA – LCMC Health has earned the 2020 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired recognition, a designation garnered from The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). The CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities.

“Information technology is a vital tool in healthcare as we work to improve the quality of care delivered to our patients,” LCMC Health CEO Greg Fern said. “The Most Wired listing recognizes our successful efforts to adapt and innovate in ways that improve value, enhance the quality of care, improve patient experience, and lower the total cost of care while expanding access to care.”

“Digital technology has been a driver of innovation in healthcare for many years now, but never to the degree that we saw in 2020 with the pandemic,” said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell. “The Digital Health Most Wired program underscores why healthcare organizations keep pushing themselves to be digital leaders and shows what amazing feats they can achieve.”

A total of 30,135 organizations were represented in the 2020 Digital Health Most Wired program, which this year included four separate surveys: acute, ambulatory, long-term care, and international. The surveys assessed the adoption, integration, and impact of technologies in healthcare organizations at all stages of development, from early development to industry-leading.

LCMC Health is among six healthcare organizations in Louisiana recognized for an Acute award and among four in Louisiana recognized for an Ambulatory award.

Among the many strides made in IT, LCMC Health launched its electronic health record system, EPIC, in 2018. Today, all clinical content, including clinical notes, diagnostic digital images (such as X-rays, ultrasounds, and CT scans), ancillary test results, and medication information is online and available to clinicians via secure online access. Physicians, nurses, and other designated healthcare staff can quickly enter medication orders and patient-care notes, as well as use health IT to carry out appropriate clinical tasks.

LCMC Health also invested in cutting-edge network improvements that better positioned the healthcare system to protect patient privacy and deliver care in a very challenging healthcare environment, including threats from COVID-19, weather-related business interruptions, and more.

“The role of information technology in healthcare continues to grow, and the standards and certification used by the industry continue to evolve,” said Tanya Townsend, Chief Information Officer, LCMC Health, “It is an honor to be among those that perform at the highest levels, knowing that the excellence they achieve will impact patients for years to come.”

This is the third year that CHIME has conducted the survey and overseen the program. In each successive year, CHIME has expanded the survey to capture more types of organizations that serve patients across the continuum of care. CHIME also continues to promote the program internationally to provide a global overview of digital health advancements.