Baylor Health Care System Receives National Information Technology Recognition

Contact: Susan Hall, 214-820-1817
Email: susanh@baylorhealth.edu

(DALLAS, Oct. 18, 2007) – This year, Baylor Health Care System ranked 15th on the 2007 Information Week 500 list, a multi-industry ranking that tracks information technology providers across the country. No other health care system ranked higher nationally.

“Since innovation is one the Baylor Health Care System’s values, it’s gratifying to have an external party recognize us for living our values,” says David Muntz, senior vice president and chief information officer, Baylor Health Care System. “We see innovation as a way to deliver better value to our stakeholders, in this case the physicians and their patients.”

Baylor’s essay responses on the application helped make the organization stand out. One essay focused on the development of a referring physician portal, which allows non-Baylor physicians to refer patients to Baylor facilities. The referring physician has secured access to their patient’s electronic medical records, so that they can stay informed about the course of the patient’s treatment.

“Being able to provide physicians with a tool which helps deliver information to them on a timely basis helps everyone involved in the care process, particularly the patient,” states Muntz. “There’s not a day that goes by where we don’t think or talk about the portal and the importance of its role in delivering quality and safe care.”

The second essay described Baylor’s use of radio frequency identification device (RFID) in automating medical device and supply management.

Baylor’s focus on new project versus maintenance, deployment of encryption, adoption of Web technologies, including integrating tools from other search companies and a focus on collaboration to increase productivity, all contributed to earning a number 15 ranking.

For 19 years, the InformationWeek 500 has tracked the most innovative business technology organizations. To be ranked, companies with at least $500 million in annual revenue complete a qualifying application that examines business technology strategies. The application contains a quantitative section on technology initiatives and priorities, and a qualitative section of essay questions. The responses to these two sections are evaluated, weighted, and combined into a total score to rank the companies.

Baylor Health Care System is a network of hospitals, primary care and specialty care centers, rehabilitation clinics, affiliated ambulatory surgery centers and the Baylor Research Institute. One of the largest private-sector employers in Dallas/Fort Worth, Baylor employs more than 16,000 people and has more than 2,700 physicians on its medical staffs. Baylor University Medical Center, flagship hospital of the system, is a major patient care, teaching and research center for the Southwest. For fiscal year 2007, Baylor Health Care System will report $390 million in community benefit to the Texas Department of State Health Services.