For the sixth consecutive year, Virtua Health has been named a Most Wired health system in the U.S. by The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). This recognition acknowledges the dedication of Virtua’s leadership and information services department to invest and excel in the field of health care technology. 

Virtua has earned the 2019 CHIME Most Wired recognition as a certified level 9, which identifies Virtua as a health care technology leader that is actively pushing the industry forward. “Level 9 and 10 organizations have implemented advanced technologies in innovative ways and have encouraged deep adoption across the entire organization,” according to CHIME. 

At Virtua Health, there is a true partnership between the technology team and the colleagues we support and service. This collaboration has led to widespread adoption of implemented technologies and a unified push to support best practices for our patients and our community,” said Virtua Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Tom Gordon. 

Among the many projects Gordon and his team tackled in 2019, the most ambitious was – and continues to be – the integration of new practices, physicians, and services following Virtua’s July acquisition of Lourdes Health System. The introduction of unified electronic medical records will help to ensure coordinated care and increased access across the expanded health system in 2019 and beyond.

“This has been a year of tremendous growth and change for Virtua. To receive Most Wired recognition, particularly the level 9 designation, indicates that our technology investments – in both business and clinical settings – keep the best interest of the patient as the utmost priority,” Gordon said. (On October 18, Gordon received the CIO of the Year ORBIE Award for the health care category, issued by PhillyCIO.)

The 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. This year included three separate surveys: domestic, ambulatory, and international. The surveys assessed the adoption, integration, and impact of technologies in health care organizations at all stages of development. Each participating organization received a customized benchmarking report, an overall score, and scores for individual levels in eight segments, such as infrastructure, security, and clinical quality/safety. 

“Health care organizations across the globe are continually striving to raise the standard of care, pushing themselves and their peers to do better,” said CHIME President and CEO Russ Branzell. “We designed Most Wired to identify and share those leading practices so everyone can benefit. It is an honor to be among those that perform at the highest levels, knowing that the excellence they achieve will impact patients for years to come.”