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Lowell General Hospital Named 2011 Most Wired Hospitals in the Nation

Recognized for Core Achievements in Health Information Technology

Lowell, MA – July 12, 2011 – Lowell General Hospital has been recognized as one of the nation's Most Wired hospitals, according to the results of the 2011 Most Wired Survey released today in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.

2011 Most Wired 2 Among the nation's Most Wired hospitals, it is making progress towards greater health information technology (IT) adoption which promotes improved care and data collection to support safety, quality and efficient delivery of care for patients.

"Information technology is an important part of healthcare, from the patient electronic medical record, to computerized physician order entry system, to the delivery of medications," says Joseph White, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer overseeing Information Services at Lowell General Hospital. "In addition to using technology for the recording of information, we are now tying systems together in a way that allows us to make real differences in patient care."

In the past year, Lowell General Hospital extended its use of hospital-wide applications in the operating rooms, neonatal and maternal monitoring, and physician order entry for requests of medications and diagnostic tests. Additionally, after establishing quality tracking systems, the hospital is now able to spot areas that may need attention or a change in process.

"Greater adoption of IT can bring important new tools to our efforts to improve the safety and quality of care in hospitals, and better coordinate care across settings," says Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. "To promote further use of information technology, we are aggressively working to remove regulatory barriers, and provide clarity in areas such as the meaningful use criteria."

Advances in information technology also contributed to Lowell General Hospital's achieving Magnet® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2010. Information technologies directly impact clinical care through the integration assessment and treatment, as well as patient monitoring, documentation and communications in the patient care setting.

Hospitals & Health Networks' Most Wired Survey, conducted between January 15 and March 15, asked hospitals and health systems nationwide to answer questions regarding their IT initiatives. Respondents completed 530 surveys, representing 1,388 hospitals, or roughly 24 percent of all U.S. hospitals.

Read the July H&HN cover story detailing results.

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