Patient Satisfaction Higher at Wired Hospitals

BRYN MAWR, Pa., July 2008 — Main Line Health (MLH) has been named to the nation’s top 100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems. The top ranking is the result of the 2008 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study published in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.

The 100 Most Wired hospitals show better outcomes in patient satisfaction, risk-adjusted mortality rates and other key quality measures through the use of information technology (IT), according to the new analysis.

“This award demonstrates the vision of our leadership team and our commitment to the value of using strategic information technology to better care for our patients and support caregivers, physicians and staff,” noted Jack Lynch, Main Line Health CEO and President. “Each system implementation requires significant investment, time, dedication, and expertise from our entire MLH organization. I thank everyone for their hard work that earned this recognition and important distinction.”

According to Chief Information Officer Karen Thomas, Main Line Health’s recent implementations strive to improve patient safety and streamline administrative functions. “For example, bar-coded medication systems are enhancing patient safety by ensuring that the right medications go to the right patients at the right time. In addition, clinical documentation systems place critical patient information online for ready access by clinicians,” she explained. “Physicians and clinicians also are accessing images from any network, any time, through ‘filmless’ radiology systems. And our staff manage their benefits and recruiting activities online, saving time and paperwork, with employee self-service systems.”

Hospitals & Health Networks conducted the 2008 survey in cooperation with Accenture, McKesson Corp. and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. Marking its 10th year, the Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study continues to lead the field in analyses and benchmarking of healthcare IT. In the 2008 survey, 1,327 hospitals are represented in the 556 completed surveys. The satisfaction analysis was conducted jointly with Press Ganey Associates and the quality analysis was conducted jointly with Thomson Healthcare. The July H&HN cover story detailing results is available at www.hhnmag.com.

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About Main Line Health
Main Line Health, based in Bryn Mawr, Pa., is a non-profit health system serving portions of Philadelphia and its western suburbs. Founded in 1985, Main Line Health includes four acute care hospitals Lankenau, Bryn Mawr, Paoli and Riddle Memorial, along with Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, Main Line HealthCare (a physician network); the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research; The Home Care Network; Main Line Health Laboratories; Mirmont Treatment Center; and Mid County Senior Services. The mission of Main Line Health is to provide a comprehensive range of health services, complemented by appropriate educational and research activities to meet the needs and improve the quality of life in the communities served by its hospitals and services. Main Line Health is part of the Jefferson Health System (JHS), founded in 1996, whose members also include Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Frankford Health System, and Magee Rehab.

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Frieda Schmidt
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schmidtf@mlhs.org

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