Sarasota Memorial Hospital has been listed among America’s “Most Wired” hospitals by the American Hospital Association (AHA). Results from the 19th Annual HealthCare’s Most Wired survey, released by the AHA Health Forum, spotlight Sarasota Memorial among 461 tech-savvy hospitals pioneering emerging technologies that promote the secure exchange of patient information and use of smart devices, telehealth and remote monitoring, and encourage patients to become more actively involved in their healthcare. Hospitals earning high marks for their use of information technologies also were recognized for developing sophisticated IT systems that support quality and safety, such as bar code medication administration and real-time decision support alerts, clinical integration to provide a patient-centered record across the continuum of care and security systems and controls to monitor for malicious activities and protect patients and staff from privacy breaches. Some of the “Most Wired” hospital initiatives include using telehealth to provide health assessment and services to patients; when remotely monitoring patients at home, using secure emails for patients and families to keep in touch with the care team; offering secure messaging with clinicians on mobile devices. Among other applications, SMH offers real-time, secure text updates from the operating room to designated family members to ease their worries while they are waiting for a loved one in surgery. Sarasota Memorial also pioneered the use of Voalte, a communication tool that allows caregivers to send and receive secure text messages and receive critical care alerts on a smart phone.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital