AHA’s 'most wired' hospitals favor data analytics, patient communication tools

The “most wired” hospitals across the country are using mobile devices, telehealth and data analytics to improve care and communication with patients.

The majority of those hospitals heavily favor analytics, according to survey results published (PDF) by the American Hospital Association which measures IT adoption among hospitals through an annual survey. Nearly 700 organizations responded to the survey, representing 39% of U.S. hospitals.

More than 80% of the “most wired” hospitals use analytics to identify opportunities for quality improvement or cost-containment compared to 67% of all hospitals. Nearly three-quarters use predictive modeling to support clinical decision-making and 69% interface EHR data with population health tools.

It should come as no surprise that hospitals are trending towards analytics tools. Predictive modeling, machine learning and analytics emerged as promising technology for the industry looking to advance precision medicine.

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On the patient engagement side, just over three-quarters of hospitals allow patients to message clinicians securely on a mobile device, and 74% utilize secure emails to communicate with the care team when a patient requires home monitoring.

“The Most Wired hospitals are using every available technology option to create more ways to reach their patients in order to provide access to care,” AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said in a press release. “They are transforming care delivery, investing in new delivery models in order to improve quality, provide access and control costs.”

Last year’s survey showed hospitals were acutely focused on telehealth and cybersecurity. This year’s results indicate the industry is even more focused on privacy and security, with 97% using intrusion detection systems and 96% performing data access audits.