Mercy Health, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System hospitals earn 2020 Most Wired Awards

For Immediate Release

Angela Klinske Bobby Maldonado

Mercy Health Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

616-685-1897 734-670-5370

klinskea@mercyhealth.com Bobby.Maldonado@stjoeshealth.org

Mercy Health Saint Mary's, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and St. Mary Mercy Livonia

recognized for improving care using innovative technology

CANTON and GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Oct. 9, 2020) – Three Trinity Health Michigan hospitals -- Mercy Health Saint Mary's, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and St. Mary Mercy Livonia -- have earned the 2020 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired recognition from The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).

The CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively health care organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities.

Mercy Health Saint Mary's was certified Level 7 Ambulatory, while St. Joe's Oakland and St. Mary Mercy were certified Level 8 Acute. According to CHIME, Most Wired organizations in levels 7 and 8 have deployed technologies and strategies (e.g., population health/cost-of-care analytics, HIEs/integration engines, and patient portals) to help them analyze their data and are starting to achieve meaningful clinical and efficiency outcomes. These organizations are experimenting with more advanced technologies, like telehealth, that expand access to care.

Most notably this year, all three recognized hospitals adopted a new electronic health record, part of an upgrade made at Trinity Health hospitals nationwide. The electronic medical record uses a single comprehensive health record for each person across the care continuum, which improves caregiver workflow and efficiency, elevates patient safety, and enhances the overall quality of care received by patients.

"Our hospitals are committed to incorporating innovative technologies to improve the experience and drive positive outcomes for patients," said Rosalie Tocco-Bradley, MD, PhD, MHSA, Trinity Health Michigan chief clinical officer. "Another advancement in our technology includes the successful implementation of one unified electronic medical record across all our Michigan hospitals, ambulatory centers and medical group practices. It’s another tool in our toolbox to bring seamless continuity of care and healing to the communities we serve.”

A total of 30,091 organizations were represented in the 2020 Digital Health Most Wired program, which this year included four separate surveys: domestic, ambulatory, long-term care and international. The surveys assessed the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in health care organizations at all stages of development, from early development to industry leading.

Each participating organization received a customized benchmarking report, an overall score and scores for individual levels in eight segments: infrastructure; security; business/disaster recovery; administrative/supply chain; analytics/data management; interoperability/population health; patient engagement; and clinical quality/safety. Participants can use the report and scores to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. Participants also received certification based on their overall performance, with level 10 being the highest.

“Digital technology has been a driver of innovation in healthcare for many years now, but never to the degree that we saw in 2020 with the pandemic,” said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell. “The Digital Health Most Wired program underscores why healthcare organizations keep pushing themselves to be digital leaders and shows what amazing feats they can achieve. This certification recognizes their exemplary performance in 2020.”

This is the third year that CHIME has conducted the survey and overseen the program. In each successive year, CHIME has expanded the survey to capture more types of organizations that serve patients across the continuum of care. CHIME also continues to promote the program internationally to provide a global overview of digital health advancements.

As in past years, CHIME will publish an industry trends report based on Digital Health Most Wired responses from U.S. participants. The 2020 National Trends Report is scheduled to be released in November during CHIME20 Digital.

For more information about the CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program, please visit here.

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About CHIME

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With nearly 3,400 members in 55 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.

About Trinity Health Michigan

Trinity Health Michigan is a leading health care provider and one of the state’s largest employers. With more than 24,000 full-time employees serving numerous counties, Trinity Health Michigan is composed of eight hospitals, including the five hospitals of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System located in Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Howell, Livonia and Pontiac, and the three-hospital Mercy Health, operating in Grand Rapids and Muskegon. The health system has 2,348 beds and 3,400 physicians. With operating revenues of $3.4 billion, Trinity Health Michigan returns $195 million back to their local communities each year. Together with numerous ambulatory care locations, three home health agencies, one hospice agency and 17 senior living communities owned and/or operated by Trinity Health, Trinity Health Michigan provides the full continuum of care for Michigan residents.

Nationally, Trinity Health is among the country's largest Catholic health care systems. Based in Livonia, Michigan, with operations in 22 states, Trinity Health employs about 129,000 colleagues, including 7,500 physicians and clinicians. The system has annual operating revenues of $18.3 billion, assets of nearly $27 billion, and returns about $1.2 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. For more information, visit www.trinity-health.org.