Sarasota Memorial Hospital recognized among the world’s ‘Most Wired’ hospitals in 2021

SMH among only five Florida facilities to achieve highest certification level

Pam Ramhofer is SMH’s chief information officer. Image courtesy Sarasota Memorial Hospital

Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) has been ranked in the 98th percentile of health care facilities in the annual College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Digital Health “Most Wired” program, SMH has announced.

The honor is accorded to facilities “for advancing a broad range of digital health technologies promoting better and more secure patient interactions and care,” a news release explains.

“More than 36,500 acute, ambulatory, long-term care and international acute care facilities were represented in the 2021 CHIME survey,” the release points out. Of 2,286 acute-care facilities participating nationwide, Sarasota Memorial was among the five Florida hospitals and fewer than 100 to achieve the highest certification (Level 9 & 10), the release noted.

“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 in the release. “The Digital Health Most Wired program recognizes the outstanding digital leaders who have paved the way for this imminent revolution in healthcare,” he added in the release. “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.”

“This is the third year that CHIME has conducted the survey and the third time that SMH has received top honors,” the release points out. “SMH Chief Information Officer Pam Ramhofer credits the ongoing support of the publicly elected hospital board and leadership team for investing in new technology and empowering staff to adapt and innovate,” the release notes.

“Our team is continually looking for ways to leverage technology to improve patient care, communication and connectivity,” Ramhofer said in the release.

Among the advanced technologies that SMH has used to achieve these outcomes are telehealth programs, access to data at the point of care, and digital tools to engage patients and their families throughout the care process, the release explains.

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers, chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers, chief innovation officers, chief digital officers and other senior health care information technology leaders, the release says. For more information, visit chimecentral.org.