The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is pleased to announce that Riverside Healthcare has earned 2020 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired recognition as a certified Acute Level 8 Quality organization. The CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities. This is the 4^th consecutive year Riverside has been named Most Wired.

“We are very proud to once again be named Most Wired,” said Riverside President and CEO Phil Kambic. “We realize in today’s healthcare setting, patients need to have access to the most advanced equipment, and our support areas need the latest systems to make our processes more efficient, that includes increased cyber security. This recognition shows that we are on track with providing our employees, patients and the community with the latest technology.”

A total of 30,091 organizations were represented in the 2020 Digital Health Most Wired program, which this year included four separate surveys: domestic, ambulatory, long-term care and international. The surveys assessed the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in healthcare organizations at all stages of development, from early development to industry leading.

“Digital technology has been a driver of innovation in healthcare for many years now, but never to the degree that we saw in 2020 with the pandemic,” said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell. “The Digital Health Most Wired program underscores why healthcare organizations keep pushing themselves to be digital leaders and shows what amazing feats they can achieve. This certification recognizes their exemplary performance in 2020.”    Each participating organization received a customized benchmarking report, an overall score and scores for individual levels in eight segments: infrastructure; security; business/disaster recovery; administrative/supply chain; analytics/data management; interoperability/population health; patient engagement; and clinical quality/safety. Participants can use the report and scores to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. Participants also received certification based on their overall performance, with level 10 being the highest.

About Riverside Healthcare

Riverside Medical Center is located in Kankakee, Illinois, and is part of Riverside Healthcare, a fully-integrated healthcare system serving the needs of patients throughout five Illinois counties including Kankakee, Iroquois, Livingston, Will, Grundy and parts of Western Indiana. Riverside Medical Center is a 300-bed Level II Trauma hospital that provides a full scope of inpatient and outpatient care. Offering award-winning programs in heart care, cancer care, neurosurgery, orthopedics and a reputation for nursing excellence has placed Riverside as a leader nationally and locally. Riverside is the area’s only Magnet® Recognized hospital and ranks among the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide for clinical performance. The healthcare system has earned Truven Health’s Top 100 Hospitals award ten times and is a multi-year recipient of Healthgrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award. Riverside Medical Group includes more than 140 primary and specialty care providers that deliver care at sites throughout the region. For more information visit riversidehealthcare.org.

About CHIME

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With nearly 3,400 members in 55 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and care in the communities they serve.

Riverside Healthcare is on the forefront of breast care by now offering a state-of-the-art breast cancer screening option (given in addition to a mammogram) for women with dense breast tissue.

 “We are excited to add the Automated Breast Ultrasound system (ABUS) to our comprehensive breast imaging program,” said Ravi Ramakrishna, DO, Lead Interpreting Physician for the Riverside Breast Center. “By offering ABUS in addition to 3D mammography for our patients with dense breast tissue, we anticipate improving early detection for small cancers that may not be seen on a mammogram alone in these women.”

Dense breast tissue has been found to increase the risk for the development of cancer and also makes cancer more difficult to detect using mammography, studies show. As breast density goes up, the sensitivity of mammograms goes down. On mammograms dense tissue can result in a masking affect, making cancers more difficult to visualize. With ABUS, suspicious findings appear dark against the surrounding bright dense tissue.

In early 2019, a national density inform law was passed that mandates that the FDA update mammography reporting so that women be notified if their breasts are dense. Providers may offer supplemental imaging as appropriate to help find cancers hiding in dense breast tissue.

“Screening mammogram still remains the gold standard for the early detection of breast cancer; however dense breast tissue can result in limitations to the sensitivity of mammograms making cancers more difficult to detect. ABUS will become an important tool to improve detection.” added Dr. Ramakrishna. Designed and built specifically for screening, research shows that ABUS technology as a supplement to mammography has the potential to find additional cancers that would not have been found with mammography alone.

 It is recommended that women get regular mammograms as suggested by their doctor, and if they have been informed that they have dense breast tissue, they should talk to their doctor or radiologist about their specific risk and additional screening tests that might be appropriate. The Invenia ABUS 2.0 system from GE Healthcare is FDA-approved for breast cancer screening in the United States as an adjunct to mammography for women with dense breast tissue. The system is designed to enhance the consistency, reproducibility, and sensitivity of breast ultrasound, demonstrating a 35.7 percent improvement in cancer detection (sensitivity) in women with dense breasts without prior breast intervention. (FDA PMA Approval P110006, Sept. 18, 2012.)