TAMC again named among nation’s top 25
‘most wired’ small and rural hospitals
For the second consecutive year, use of technology to improve patient care has landed TAMC on the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) top 25 list of the nation’s “most wired” small and rural hospitals.
TAMC is one of six EMHS hospitals cited as being at the forefront of using information technology to improve patient care, based on the results of a 2014 survey published by the AHA. TAMC, Acadia Hospital in Bangor, Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, and Inland Hospital in Waterville were honored in the most wired — small and rural category. Eastern Maine Medical Center and Sebasticook Valley Hospital were recognized in the health care’s most wired category. The six hospitals were among only nine in Maine to be recognized, and TAMC was the only medical center north of Bangor to make the list.
As the nation’s health care system transitions to more integrated and patient-centered care, hospitals are utilizing information technology to better connect disparate care providers, according to the 16th annual Health Care’s Most Wired Survey, conducted by Hospitals & Health Networks. The survey assesses hospitals’ performance in four facets of information technology: infrastructure, business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety, and clinical integration.
TAMC, along with other EMHS hospitals, participate in HealthInfoNet, a statewide service that allows hospitals to share information in a secure way for the purpose of making health care safer and easier. All EMHS hospitals also use electronic medical records to reduce the likelihood of medication errors and ensure that important information about patient health is available to caregivers when and where it is needed.
“It is an honor for us to be named, for the second consecutive year, among the top 25 ‘most wired’ hospitals across the nation in the small and rural category,” said Sylvia Getman, TAMC president and CEO and EMHS senior vice president. “This both acknowledges the great work of our team in this area and tells the people of The County who count on us to deliver safe, quality care that they are in good hands.”
As TAMC and EMHS have integrated more technology, measures have been taken to ensure patient privacy and security. The latest technology is used to ensure patient health information is kept safe and secure. These safeguards were noted by the AHA in determining which hospitals were named to the Most Wired list.
Contributed photo
TAMC WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S NURSE Kimberly Tompkins, RN, uses the bar code medication verification system to ensure safe medication administration to Courtney Deabay of Ashland. In the background, holding his newborn baby, Carter Michael Gordon, is Michael Gordon. This system is just one of the reasons that TAMC has been named one of the nation’s “Most Wired” small rural hospitals.
