Mary Bridge Children's Hospital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Todd Kelley (253) 403-1716

(TACOMA) – MultiCare Health System has been named one of the nation’s 100 Most Wired health systems and the 25 Most Wireless health systems, according to Hospital & Health Network magazine. MultiCare is one of the few health systems in the nation to have electronic health records and one of only two health systems in Western Washington to earn this distinction.

The 100 Most Wired organizations are hospitals and health systems that scored the highest on a recent national survey of more than 1,300 hospitals and health systems. The survey measured the use of information technology in patient safety and quality; customer service; business process improvement; workforce management; and disaster readiness.

The category, 25 Most Wireless, recognizes health care organizations that focus on the use of wireless applications in clinical settings.

“MultiCare’s vision of the ideal patient experience is to create a seamless, easy, valued, and sustainable continuum of health care,” said Florence Chang, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “Technology is one of the key strategies that we use to fulfill that vision. Investing in these technologies provides safer and more convenient care for our patients.”

Eleven years ago, MultiCare Health System became the first health system in the south Puget Sound to implement an electronic health record (EHR) for patients at its ambulatory clinics in Pierce and south King Counties. Called MultiCare Connect, the system allows immediate, secure access to a single, comprehensive health record each time a patient visits a MultiCare facility.

In 2007, MultiCare implemented this leading edge technology at Tacoma General Hospital, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Allenmore Hospital, providing a single, electronic health record for all MultiCare patients, whether they are seen in a clinic or a hospital.

MultiCare clinics in East Pierce County also implemented MultiCare Connect in 2008. Good Samaritan Hospital will add this health information technology with the opening of the new Patient Care Tower in 2011.

MultiCare has earned other distinctions recently for health information technology. In 2008, MultiCare Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Diane Cecchettini, RN, received the CEO IT Achievement Award from Modern Healthcare Magazine and the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS). The award recognizes healthcare CEOs who demonstrate leadership and a commitment to using information technology to advance their organizations’ goals. Ms. Cecchettini was only one of three CEOs nationally to receive the recognition and the only CEO in Washington State.

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MultiCare is a leading-edge, integrated health organization made up of four hospitals, numerous primary care and urgent care clinics, multi-specialty centers, Hospice and Home Health services, and many other services. A not-for-profit organization based in Tacoma, Washington since 1882, MultiCare has grown over the years in response to community needs. Today we are the area's largest provider of health care services, serving patients at 93 locations in Pierce, South King, Kitsap and Thurston counties.