UAMS Ranked by Information Week for Use of Technology

By todd

LITTLE ROCK – Business technology magazine Information Week has recognized the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in its annual InformationWeek 500 ranking of the most innovative users of technology in the nation.


 


The 2008 InformationWeek 500 companies were revealed on Sept. 15 at an awards ceremony held during the InformationWeek 500 Conference at the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, Calif. The publication recognized how UAMS manages its information technology resources.


 


“We are pleased to be selected by Information Week as it illustrates our efficient use of technology to support our UAMS patient care, education, research and community service missions,” said Kari Cassel, UAMS chief information officer.


 


UAMS has developed and implemented business solutions to automate workflow and improve access to information, including an employee self-service portal, a Web portal for internal clinicians and referring physicians, and implemented an enterprise-wide electronic medical records system as well as an electronic patient folder system eliminating the majority of paper records.


 


UAMS implemented wireless networks with patient/guest access and faculty/staff access, with more than 200 wireless computers. The wireless maneuverability allows caregivers to utilize them where needed, such as physicians’ morning patient rounds where they review results, update records and create new orders. UAMS has also used technology to stay on the cutting edge of research, creating systems to manage the workload and eliminate paper.


 


“For 20 years, the InformationWeek 500 has honored the most innovative users of business technology,” said InformationWeek Editor-in-Chief Rob Preston. “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.”


 


InformationWeek has identified and honored the nation’s most innovative users of information technology with its annual listing, now in its 20th year, and has tracked the technology, strategies, investments and administrative practices of America’s best-known companies.  The list is unique among corporate rankings because it spotlights the power of innovation in information technology, rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders. 


 


Additional details on the InformationWeek 500 can be found online at www.informationweek.com/iw500/. 


 


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,538 students and 733 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is one of the state’s largest public employers with about 9,600 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $5 billion a year. Visit www.uams.edu.