Top hospitals use more advanced IT: report

The hospitals named to Thomson Reuters' 100 Top Hospitals list use more advanced levels of information technology as compared with the broader US hospital population, according to research conducted by a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society subsidiary.

HIMSS Analytics, the organization's market-research arm, looked at hospitals that received the award in 2009 or 2010 and their HIMSS Analytics' electronic health-record adoption model scores. "The very strong correlation between Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals and hospitals at higher levels on the EMRAM model shows the benefits of deploying advanced clinical applications in the delivery of healthcare in U.S. hospitals," said John Hoyt, executive vice president of HIMSS Analytics. The research found that 14% of the 100 Top Hospitals in 2009 were in stages 5, 6 or 7 of EHR adoption that year, compared with 6% of US hospitals. In 2010, 21% of the 100 Top Hospitals were at stage 5 or higher, compared with about 9% of US hospitals.