UAMS Use of Technology Recognized as ‘Most Wired’

By Jon Parham

LITTLE ROCK – For the seventh time, the Hospitals & Health Networks magazine of the American Hospital Association publication has named the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Medical Center as one of the “100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems” for its use of technology.

UAMS Medical Center is one of only nine organizations in the United States to be named seven times to the “Most Wired” list in its 11-year history, and is the only hospital in Arkansas to be recognized in 2009. Hospitals are recognized for how they use technology to address patient care, customer service, business processes, work force and public safety issues.

Recent information technology projects at UAMS contributing to this award include:
• A new acute care electronic medical records system
• A patient portal that features online appointment requests and patient pre-registration capability
• An employee self-service online portal for accessing benefits and other human resources information
• Business-to-business applications to improve efficiency for both UAMS and its vendors

“Winning ‘Most Wired’ is confirmation that UAMS continues to be on the leading edge of systems deployment to support improved patient safety and quality of care, improved efficiency to lower costs of delivering services, and an improved environment for our faculty and staff,” said Kari Cassel, UAMS chief information officer. “UAMS leaders, faculty and staff, have taken an active role in selecting and ensuring the successful adoption of our systems and deserve congratulations for this achievement.”

In 2008, business technology magazine Information Week has recognized the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in its annual InformationWeek 500 ranking of the most innovative users of technology in the nation.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a new 540,000-square-foot hospital, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,652 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.