Akron Children’s Hospital recognized as a national leader in health IT

01-12-2023 (Akron, Ohio )

Akron Children’s has once again earned recognition for its digital transformation, strong data analytics capabilities, using technology to improve patient care and quality using electronic health records (EHR).

HIMSS Analytics, a not-for-profit subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, informed the hospital that for the second time it earned Stage 7 (the highest possible ranking) on its EHR Adoption Model scale. HIMSS conducts a rigorous survey of hospitals every four years to determine the rankings.

“This is a mark of distinction for Akron Children’s as less than 10% of hospitals nationwide have achieved HIMSS Stage 7,” said Harun Rashid, vice president and chief information officer at Akron Children’s. “It represents our significant commitment as an organization to using technology to improve the health and wellbeing of the families we serve. Using the many of the digital tools, our staff is able make a difference in delivering safer and effective care. ”

Akron Children's began implementing Epic electronic medical records in 2010, which now covers all inpatient and outpatient areas. The final major milestone in its Epic implementation recently began with the laboratory’s Beeker project, which will be complete in 2024.

In addition to its Stage 7 designation, the hospital achieved “Most Wired” distinction from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) for its ninth year. The Most Wired survey provides a “digital-health check-up” for hospitals. It compares industry-level benchmarks for IT adoption for operational systems, security, patient engagement and clinical performance – recognizing organizations with exceptionally high IT systems, automation, cybersecurity awareness and integration throughout their enterprise.

Rashid says it’s gratifying to have groups like HIMSS and CHIME recognize the hospital’s efforts.

“The last few years have been challenging – COVID accelerated our digital transformation, particularly with regard to telehealth and digital healthcare,” he said. “Our team stepped up, and continues to rise to new challenges. These achievements would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of all our ISD and informatics staff, nursing, and physician teams.”