A global first in health care: Baptist Health receives top marks for improving patient engagement through digital tools

Baptist Health is proud to announce that its expert use of digital technology to enhance the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care has been recognized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center has become the first organization in the world to earn HIMSS’s Community Care Outcomes Maturity Model (C-COMM) Stage 7 validation for improving patient engagement and outcomes outside of hospital settings.

The C-COMM model measures how health care organizations leverage information and technology to better engage with patients, families and caregivers across community-based service environments such as primary care, home health and telehealth. C-COMM Stage 7 is the highest level of accreditation awarded by HIMSS, a non-profit body dedicated to improving the quality, safety, cost-effectiveness and access to health care through information and technology systems.

The elite recognition signifies the full integration of well-known digital tools like MyChart that allows health information to be shared effectively between patients and their clinical teams, with others such as the Baptist Access app, which features interactive maps, “Find a Doctor” and “Parking Reminder” tools to help patients find where they parked and how to navigate to a specific location inside our health care facilities. The integration and optimization of these tools enhances patient engagement, experience, quality of care and safety and ultimately leads to improved patient outcomes.

“Today, the majority of treatments, care and services take place outside the confines of hospitals or acute care settings,” said Bill Putnam, MD, FACS, medical director of Baptist MD Anderson. “Digital tools help patients navigate their health care journey and help us connect with them and meet them where they are. They allow us to manage and adjust treatments to ensure patients receive the top-quality, patient-centered cancer care they have come to expect from us.”

“The innovative use of technology is reshaping how high-quality health care is delivered, and we are proud to be driving this change,” said Aaron Miri, MBA, FCHIME, CHCIO, senior vice president and chief digital and information officer of Baptist Health. “This recognition is a testament to the commitment of our information technology and clinical teams to optimize our information and technology capabilities to create a healthier community.”