Phoebe Health System earns Digital Health Most Wired award

ALBANY – Phoebe Putney Health System has been named a College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Digital Health Most Wired recipient. This award shows Phoebe’s commitment to leveraging advanced technology to enhance patient care and improve health outcomes.

“Achieving the CHIME Digital Health Most Wired designation is a testament to our digital transformation efforts at Phoebe,” PPHS Chief Information Officer Mike Elder said. “We are honored to receive this recognition, which highlights our commitment to embracing innovative digital health solutions and integrating cutting-edge technology into our health care delivery to provide a better way to health and wellness for the entire community.”

The CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program celebrates health care organizations that excel in the use of digital health tools and technologies. Phoebe’s achievements in digital health involve the implementation of advanced electronic health records (EHR), telehealth services, and data analytics to improve patient outcomes and streamline operations. These initiatives have enabled Phoebe to provide more efficient and effective care, ensuring that patients receive the best possible treatment.

Phoebe currently is transitioning its outpatient EHR system to MEDITECH, the same platform it uses for inpatients.

“Our collaboration with MEDITECH has been instrumental in achieving the CHIME recognition,” health system Chief Medical Information Officer Dr. William Sewell said. “The project we’re currently working on will make it easier and more straightforward for patients to access their medical information while also improving efficiency for our staff, providing a seamless flow of information and enhancing patient care communication between inpatient units and outpatient clinics.”

The purpose of the transition is to ensure all providers within the Phoebe system have access to the most recent information for every patient, improving quality, safety and efficiency in patient care.

“Let’s say a patient with congestive heart failure goes to see their primary care physician because they’re having some unusual breathing difficulty,” Sewell said. “That doctor sends the patient to ER, where the emergency physician prescribes some stronger medication, but the patient still isn’t responding as we’d like, so the ER physician admits them to the hospital.

“Then the hospitalist takes over care for a couple of days until the patient is discharged and follows up with their primary care doctor again. Our EHR integration ensures each physician who touches that patient every step of the way knows exactly what care the other physicians have provided. That really is what an electronic health record is designed to do, and it leads to better outcomes for patients.”

The Digital Health Most Wired survey is an international benchmarking and recognition program that serves as a comprehensive “Digital Health Check-up” for health care organizations worldwide. It assesses organizations through a comprehensive survey evaluating their digital health capabilities across various aspects of health care operations. Earning this recognition indicates that a health care organization is at the forefront of utilizing technology to enhance patient care and operational efficiency. 

Phoebe is one of only seven hospitals or health systems in Georgia to earn the CHIME recognition for 2024.

Special Photo: PhoebeSpecial Photo: Phoebe