Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study Now Available

Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study Now Available CHICAGO, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The quest to be one of the nation's Most Wired hospitals and health systems begins today with the availability of the 2005 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study at http://www.hhnmostwiredsurvey.com/ . The survey measures hospital IT activities in five key areas: business processes, customer service, safety and quality, workforce and public health and safety, and provides participants with detailed information on their IT systems. Participating hospitals may be named to the 2005 Hospitals & Health Networks list of the 100 Most Wired when it is released in July 2005. "This is the seventh year of the survey," said Alden Solovy, executive editor for H&HN, which runs the annual benchmarking study. "We had a good response last year, receiving data from 1,298 U.S. hospitals. It is by far the most exhaustive survey we've developed." The survey is available online and hospitals executives can participate at http://www.hhnmostwiredsurvey.com/. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2005. Every organization that submits a survey receives a customized benchmarking analysis of their data. "The benchmarking value of the survey is tremendous," said Michael Raymer, senior vice president and general manager, IDX Systems Corp., one of the survey partners. "Regardless of whether or not a hospital is recognized with the Most Wired designation, participation in the survey provides their CIO with critical data about information technology trends." The data will also be useful in evaluating the current state of readiness to build the national health information infrastructure, notes Lewis Redd, president of Capgemini Health Consulting, another survey partner. "The survey explores the state of the electronic medical record more deeply than in the past and new questions probe the development of regional health information exchanges." Since 1998, Hospitals & Health Networks -- the journal of the American Hospital Association -- has named the nation's 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems. Hospitals can also be named Most Improved, Most Wireless and Most Wired -- Small and Rural. In addition, hospitals that have unique IT projects in place can compete in the Innovator Award essay contest to be named an Innovator winner or finalist. Further information on the Innovator Award may be found at http://www.hhnmostwiredsurvey.com/ . User ID codes and passwords have been mailed to all hospital CEOs. Hospitals that need the ID and password resent or are experiencing problems accessing the survey can send an email to mostwired@healthforum.com with the hospital's name, city and state. The seventh annual Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study highlighting technically savvy hospitals is made possible through a partnership among H&HN, IDX Systems Corp., Capgemini and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). The Most Wired Innovator Awards are a joint project of H&HN, Cisco Systems, Capgemini, IDX Systems Corp. and CHIME. Hospitals & Health Networks, the journal of the American Hospital Association, conducts the Most Wired survey annually. IDX System Corporation provides information technology solutions to maximize value in the delivery of health care, improve the quality of patient service, enhance medical outcomes, and reduce the costs of care. http://www.idx.com/ . Capgemini helps businesses implement growth strategies, leverage technology, and thrive through the power of collaboration. http://www.us.capgemini.com/health/ . CHIME was formed with the dual objective of serving the professional development needs of health care CIOs, and advocating the more effective use of information management within health care. http://www.cio-chime.org/ . Cisco Systems, Inc., celebrates 20 years of commitment to technology innovation, industry leadership, and corporate social responsibility. http://www.cisco.com/ . For information contact: Jennifer Towne (312) 893-6894 mostwired@healthforum.com Source: Health Forum CONTACT: Jennifer Towne of Health Forum, +1-312-893-6894, mostwired@healthforum.com Web site: http://www.idx.com/ http://www.us.capgemini.com/health http://www.cisco.com/ http://www.cio-chime.org/ http://www.hhnmostwiredsurvey.com/ http://www.healthforum.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment