Franciscan Alliance earns 2021 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired recognition

Franciscan Alliance recently earned 2021 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired recognition as a certified LEVEL EIGHT (out of 10) from The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). The CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities.

“Franciscan has invested significant amounts of resources, both capital and skilled staffing, to ensure that our information systems ably support quality healthcare throughout our enterprise,” said Charles Wagner, corporate vice president for Information Services/CIO. “Even through the challenges of the last 18 months, our IS teams made remarkable advancements in tech utilization. The CHIME recognition confirms that commitment.”

“Digital transformation in healthcare has accelerated to an unprecedented level since 2020, and the next few years will bring a wave of innovation that empowers healthcare consumers and will astound the industry,” said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell. “The Digital Health Most Wired program recognizes the outstanding digital leaders who have paved the way for this imminent revolution in healthcare. Their trailblazing commitment to rapid transformation has set an example for the entire industry in how to pursue a leadership vision with determination, brilliant planning and courage to overcome all challenges.”

Franciscan has completed many critical projects during the pandemic period. The healthcare system:

Enabled and supported the move of 6,000+ staff to a remote work setting.

Used technology to enable 13 remote COVID testing and triage stations/sites.

Provided telepresence services for patients and their families who could not visit in the hospital setting. Leveraged the same platform for virtual rounding for acute/long term care/rehab physician support.

Completed two consolidated Epic healthcare software system releases leveraging remote/virtual staffing, while establishing a virtual command center using Teams as the collaboration platform.

Enabled and supported an increase in virtual visits, from a very small number per week to greater than 1,500 visits per day within 30 days.

Completed an enterprise-wide implementation of Imprivata’s simplified sign-on product, 13 hospitals and 300+ ambulatory locations, servicing more than 16 million logins over the first 3 months of productive use.

Created multiple data/analytic-based dashboards in support of internal and external COVID reporting as well as other operational support, meeting all Federal and State reporting requirements.

Implemented an enterprise-wide Patient Engagement Center, with Online Appointment search.

About Chime Recognition

A total of 36,674 organizations were represented in the 2021 Digital Health Most Wired program, which includes four separate surveys: acute, ambulatory, long-term care and international acute. The surveys assessed the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in healthcare 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.

This is the fourth 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 2021 National Trends Report is scheduled to be released in October during CHIME21 in San Diego. 

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

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 Franciscan Health

The Franciscan Alliance healthcare ministry began in Lafayette, Ind., in 1875. Today, Franciscan Alliance is one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the Midwest with 12 hospital campuses, more than 19,000 employees and a number of nationally recognized Centers of Health Care Excellence. Hospitals include: Franciscan Health Carmel; Franciscan Health Crawfordsville; Franciscan Health Crown Point; Franciscan Health Dyer; Franciscan Health Hammond; Franciscan Health Indianapolis; Franciscan Health Lafayette; Franciscan Health Michigan City; Franciscan Health Mooresville; Franciscan Health Munster; Franciscan Health Olympia Fields (IL); and Franciscan Health Rensselaer.