Cincinnati Children's Receives Top Honors From InformationWeek 500

Monday, January 01, 0001

For its innovative use of business technology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center was recently named number one in the healthcare and medical category and number two overall in the InformationWeek 500.

InformationWeek 500 is a marketing business technology media brand. Each year, it honors the most innovative U.S.-based users. Cincinnati Children’s was recognized for its work on its Fetal Care Portal.

Marianne James, senior vice president and CIO, Information Services, Cincinnati Children’s, said she is honored by the recognition.

“The real success story is the collaboration that’s taking place at Cincinnati Children’s – people coming together to create innovative solutions that support research, education and care,” said James. “That’s the real innovation, and the key to successes like this one.”

Since the doctors who are a part of the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati work at three different institutions (Cincinnati Children’s, Good Samaritan and University Health), the Fetal Care Portal allows them to share real-time information about patients. The portal gives the doctors access to data such as electronic medical records and digitized radiology images and reports, so all of the doctors are working from the same data.

As a result, the Fetal Care Center institutions are able to conduct more comprehensive fetal care research and collaborate more effectively with referring physicians while making complex, data-driven medical decisions. An automated, simplified workflow and reminders help ensure all data and outcomes are entered for each patient, leading to more comprehensive and accurate data.

James said senior leadership at Cincinnati Children’s encourages IT innovation.

“Our president and board have made investment in IT innovation a priority,” said James. “Why? Because they understand that these investments can make real improvements in how we deliver care to patients and families. The Fetal Care Portal is a great example of that.”

Rob Preston, editor in chief of InformationWeek, said leaders in the InformationWeek 500 share an “intense focus on customers and a relentless desire to innovate, even in a brutal economy.”

“Year after year, InformationWeek 500 companies harness technology to improve efficiency, boost productivity, drive revenue, and establish a competitive advantage. We applaud this year’s winners, and the CIOs and other executives whose ingenuity and risk taking are at the center of business technology innovation,” he said.

To be ranked in the InformationWeek 500 list, companies with revenue of $250 million or more must complete a rigorous application on their technology strategies. The process includes quantitative assessments of business tech innovation. 

About Cincinnati Children’s

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is one of 10 children’s hospitals in the United States to make the Honor Roll in U.S. News and World Reports 2009-10 Americas Best Children’s Hospitals issue. It is #1 ranked for digestive disorders and is also highly ranked for its expertise in respiratory diseases, cancer, neonatal care, heart care, neurosurgery, diabetes, orthopedics, kidney disorders and urology. One of the three largest children’s hospitals in the U.S., Cincinnati Children’s is affiliated with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and is one of the top two recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health.

President Barack Obama in June 2009 cited Cincinnati Children’s as an island of excellence in health care. For its achievements in transforming health care, Cincinnati Children’s is one of six U.S. hospitals since 2002 to be awarded the American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize for leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. The hospital is a national and international referral center for complex cases. Additional information can be found at www.cincinnatichildrens.org.

About the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati

The Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati is a collaboration among Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, The University Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital that brings together renowned fetal and maternal medicine specialists, leading technologies and a full range of integrated support services in the care of high-risk pregnancies. The Fetal Care Center is intensely committed to improving outcomes for high-risk pregnancies and enhancing quality of life for every baby treated. One of the few truly comprehensive fetal care programs in the world, the Fetal Care Center contains the world’s first unit specifically designed for the care of the fetal surgical patient. The Fetal Care Center is the only comprehensive center for fetal evaluation, diagnosis and treatment in the Midwest and one of the only centers in the world affiliated with a top children’s hospital, two Level III maternity hospitals and three Level III newborn intensive care units.