Hallmark Health Recognized as ‘Most Improved’ in IT

Hallmark Health System, which includes Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford and Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, has been recognized as one of the nation’s most improved, according to the results of the 2011 Most Wired Survey released this summer in Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.

The nation’s Most Wired hospitals are making progress towards greater health information technology (IT) adoption. As a field, hospitals are focused on expanding and adopting certain kinds of IT, such as Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), to promote improved patient care and data collection.

“Our organization has been working hard in the area of IT and we are thrilled to be recognized for the progress we have made to date,” said Carol Dresser, vice president, information services.

“Greater adoption of IT can bring important tools to our efforts to improve the safety and quality of care in hospitals, and better coordinate care across settings,” says Rich Umbdensock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association.

Hospitals & Health Networks’ Most Wired Survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, asked hospitals and health systems nationwide to answer questions regarding their IT initiatives. Responders completed 530 surveys, representing 1,388 hospitals, or roughly 24 percent of all United States hospitals.

Among other things, Hallmark Health has implemented information technology that focuses on improving the safety of medication administration, advancing the use of electronic medial records and deploying tools to ensure the protection of our data from loss or inappropriate access.

For more information about Hallmark Health, visit www.hallmarkhealth.org or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/hallmarkhealth.

– Information from Hallmark Health