What do the top 10 most wired hospitals have in common?

In October, CHIME named the organizations that reached Level 10 designation in its Digital Health Most Wired (DHMW) Survey program. Twenty-six organizations made the list this year, the most ever, and a 58% year-on-year increase. The survey assessed 48,000 care sites across acute care, long-term post-acute care (LTPAC), ambulatory, and community-based care. But what does it take to achieve this distinguished ranking in healthcare IT?  

According to CHIME, Level 10 recipients “demand a level of rigor, meaningful adoption, evidence-based outcomes, and stakeholder engagement rarely seen in healthcare.” Their strategic vision, leadership, and technology drive positive changes in virtually every aspect of the care delivery environment when faced with significant challenges such as clinician burnout, tight budgets, and shifting patient care models.  

Each participating organization will receive benchmarked reporting about their digital health performance across eight key segments: Infrastructure, Security, Administrative/Supply Chain, Analytics/Data Management, Interoperability/Population Health, Patient Engagement, Innovation, and Clinical Quality/Safety.  

What traits, clinical metrics, and commonalities do Most Wired Level 10 recipients share? We looked at the Definitive Healthcare Database to assess the top acute hospitals and health systems that made the list, and here’s what we found.  

Most wired hospitals: By the numbers  

These 26 hospitals are in 11 U.S. states, led by New Jersey with 12 hospitals. When comparing their locations based on region, the Northeast leads with 16 hospitals. The South is represented by five, the West Coast and Mountain States by two each, and the Southwest by one.  

Key clinical metrics 

• 1,208—Average number of beds (ranging from 139 to 5,886)  
• 69.17%—Average bed utilization rate  
• 56,070—Average number of discharges 
• 5.36 days—Average length of stay 
• 243,925—average estimated ER visits  

Technology use 

• Average IT operating budget—$49,802,647 (ranging from $4,271,023 to $368,889,205) 
• 96% use Epic Systems for Inpatient EHR 

Employees/headcount 

• 9,593—Average number of employees (ranging from 514 to 37,563)  
• 2,343—Average number of affiliated physicians 
• 324—Average number of interns/residents 

What did we learn? 

Most Wired Level 10 recipients share a few characteristics and commonalities, such as using Epic Systems for their inpatient EHR. (University Health is the lone exception with Oracle Cerner.)  At the same time, they differ in other notable ways, such as number of beds and estimated operating IT budgets.  

When comparing the average of the Most Wired Hospitals to national averages and industry benchmarks, we can see how they align with best practices for ideal outcomes. 

Affiliate physicians are valuable for improving patient experiences by providing additional guidance and services, especially in rural areas where patients can’t travel elsewhere to receive quality care. Among the Level 10 recipients on the Most Wired Hospitals list, the average number of affiliated physicians is 2,343—well above the national average of 209.  

Although there is no consensus on the ideal occupancy rate of a hospital, 85% is often considered the maximum threshold for reducing the risk of bed shortages. Most Wired Level 10 recipients list have an average of 69.17%, which speaks to their ability to allocate resources effectively to accommodate newly admitted patients.  

Compared to the national average length of stay of 5.5 days, Most Wired Level 10 recipients measure with a slightly lower average of 5.36 days at their healthcare facilities. Unnecessary days in the hospital can expose patients to additional complications (such as healthcare-associated infections and falls), often leading to increased costs for patients and their healthcare systems. At the same time, prolonged lengths of stay can lead to negative experiences for patients and care teams alike.  

The data truly speaks for itself. Most Wired Level 10 recipients are making remarkable strides in an evolving healthcare landscape, remaining steadfast in their commitment to delivering exceptional patient experiences. At Spok, we’re always proud to celebrate their continued success!