Centra has been named as one of the top 25 Most Wireless health systems in the country by H&HN (Hospitals & Health Networks) magazine, and also earned the magazine’s award for the second consecutive year as one of the Most Wired health systems in the country.

Centra is recognized as one of the top 25 Most Wireless as well as one of the 100 Most Wired hospitals in the nation in the July issue of the magazine, the journal of the American Hospital Association. The magazine surveys health care systems annually on the effective use of information technology in achieving clinical and operational excellence. Hospitals report on how they use information technology in five key areas: safety and quality, customer service, business processes, workforce and public health and safety. The July H&HN cover story is available at www.hhnmag.com.

“These awards are an extraordinary honor for Centra, and for our regional community,” said George W. Dawson, Centra president and CEO. “Information technology is having a major impact in enhancing the quality and patient safety of care in hospitals across the country and we are pleased to be recognized as a national leader.”

“These national awards are a testament to the vision of our Centra leadership, and the dedication of our clinical informatics and management information systems teams and our more than 5,000 employees who use this technology every day to provide excellent care,” said Ben Clark, Centra chief information officer and vice president. “We know our health technology is leading to better and more efficient care that will have a lasting impact.”

Centra is a leader in using information technology to enter doctor’s orders, safely provide medications with barcode technology, document and store clinical test results and review database analytics to improve care. Centra began taking major steps to improve its health technology in 2003 when it began using a high-speed data network around Lynchburg, which allowed data connectivity to all Centra locations, including facilities outside Lynchburg.

“We leveraged medical imaging with our PACs (Picturing Archiving System), retired our mainframe and replaced all our clinical and financial applications,” Clark said.

Centra also holds a national VIP Award from McKesson Technology Solutions for its use of information technology to achieve outstanding results in the delivery of health care.

Most Wireless and Most Wired hospitals also earn higher patient satisfaction scores and have better patient outcomes, safety and quality than other hospitals across the country, H&HN reports.

Centra has earned a number of major national awards and accolades, including:

• Designation as one of the Safest Hospitals in America by Forbes magazine. Centra was designated as a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence, and has low complication and mortality rates that rank the health care system in the top 5 percent of the country.
• Top ranking among the nation’s best hospitals for heart surgery. In May, for the third year in a row, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons has awarded Centra a three-star rating--its highest rating for quality in cardiac surgery. Only 10 percent of the hospitals across the country participating in the analysis of national data were awarded the three-star ranking for cardiac surgery performance. Centra is the only health care system in Virginia to have received the award every year since its inception.
• Nurses who are ranked among the best in the country. Centra has held Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center since 2005.Only 289 U.S. hospitals out of more than 6,000 have been awarded this highest recognition for excellence in nursing. Centra was the first in central Virginia to achieve this status.
• Premier’s national award for quality and efficiency—placing Centra among the top 1 percent of hospitals in the country. Centra has been honored for superior patient outcomes in quality and efficiency with the Select Practice quality award from Premier CareScience, a national health care alliance. Centra is one of fewer than 50 health care organizations nationwide—and the only health care system in Virginia—to receive the Select Practice award.
• National accreditation for many of its programs and services, including national recognition with full accreditation with commendation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and accreditation for the Centra Chest Pain Center with percutaneous coronary intervention from the Society of Chest Pain Centers
• Patient satisfaction scores that are in the top quartile in the nation. Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital has earned Press Ganey’s prestigious Summit Award for attaining the highest patient satisfaction ranking for three consecutive years.
• Ranking as a national mentor for hospitals across the country in eight interventions specified in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 5 Million Lives Campaign. This initiative aims to protect patients across the country from 5 million incidents of medical harm over two years.
• Awards for critical care excellence and clinical excellence in its intensive care units, having earned the Beacon Award from the American Association of Critical Care as well as top awards from VHA. The Intermediate Care Unit at Virginia Baptist earned the 2008-2009 Beacon Award and is the first progressive care unit in the nation to win this prestigious award.
• National and state quality awards for Centra Home Health, including HomeCare Elite for three consecutive years and the Home Health Outstanding Achievement Award from the Virginia Health Quality Center.