Hospitals appearing in the August online ranking of U.S. News Best Hospitals 2011-12 used HIMSS Analytics' Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) scale to select the top 140 hospitals. All hospitals on the list rank at Stage 6 or Stage 7 on the EMRAM. 

As noted on the U.S. News & World Report website, “U.S. News surveyed nearly 10,000 specialists and sifted through data for almost 5,000 hospitals to rank the best in 16 adult specialties, from cancer to urology. Death rates, patient safety and hospital reputation were a few of the factors considered. Only 140 hospitals were nationally ranked in one or more specialties.”

HIMSS Analytics has been collecting the data since 2005. With more than 22 quarters worth of information, “we can see how progress is occurring in the United States as hospitals adopt more and more technology and they move up the scale from Stages 2 and 3 and 4, all the way up to Stages 5, 6 and 7," says John P. Hoyt, executive vice president, organizational services, HIMSS.

The hospitals labeled “most connected” by the U.S. News & World Report are those that reached Stage 6 or Stage 7 of the HIMSS Analytics EMR adoption model – the top 4.5 percent of U.S. hospitals, according to Hoyt.

Hoyt says that once hospitals reach Stage 6 and Stage 7 of EMR sophistication, the data show there is a correlation with quality and improvement. “It improves patient care, and it improves patient confidence,” he adds.