Flint Township View

Hurley honored as “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals 2021”


FLINT — Newsweek Magazine has named Hurley Medical Center as one of the top Smart Hospitals in the world and the #1 Smart Hospital in Michigan.

Newsweek is recognizing the top 250 institutions around the world, ranking Hurley as #111 for demonstrating leadership in the use of smart technologies, including AI (artificial intelligence), telemedicine, robotic surgery, digital imaging, smart buildings and electronic health records. Hurley is one of just three hospitals in the state to be ranked for its ongoing efforts to integrate technologies, maximize new data-driven opportunities and improve cutting-edge treatment for patients.

“It is such an honor to be recognized for the work done at Hurley optimizing all of our technology to enhance safe patient care. Our designation as a HIMSS Stage 7 Hospital in 2018 validated our efforts using technology to improve care collaboration, patient safety, teamwork and efficiency,” says Dr. Michael D. Roebuck, Hurley Chief Medical Information Officer. “As a leader in healthcare we are always aware of the need to evoke every ounce of potential from every investment we make. Investing in technology is very expensive, however, the outcome for patients when the technology is optimized allows those cared for at Hurley to be assured that safety measures are in place, that teams are collaborating about their care, and that the bedside providers have all of the information readily available to them to make the best clinical decisions.”

Roebuck said further, when investing in technology, no matter where it is to be implemented, Hurley starts with the philosophy of “how will this best enhance the care of the patient.” He said Hurley then implements the technology to ensure this end goal is met.

“Recognition on this list of Smart Hospitals validates the effective collaboration between the information technology team, the biomedical engineering team, the physicians, and the clinical teams throughout the hospital who remain focused on improving and enhancing the safe patient care we are known for,” he said.

Frances Gilcreast, Chair of the Hurley Board of Managers, shared the following sentiment, “The Hurley Board of Managers are elated to have a team who brings the mission to its full potential with limited resources. This recognition is a testament to the vision of the Administration, the Board and the employees’ commitment to skillfully utilize our resources to invest in technology to serve our community.

Hurley Medical Center is ranked number one in Michigan, number 40 in the United States and 111th in the world.

Hurley is also ranked 1 of 5 health systems in the state to be validated as a HIMSS Stage 7 Hospital – maximizing electronic medical records to provide care that is safe, efficient and high quality.

The hospital’s growing technology allows doctors in the NICU to predict symptoms in babies before they experience them, and with innovative bar codes and high-tech IV pumps, Hurley improves safety making sure patients get the correct medications and doses.

Hurley has been able to share 3.5 million patient records with 2000 hospitals spanning 50 states. The digital transformation helps patients if they get sick or hurt on vacation or have moved. MyChart allows patients to get test results quicker and make appointments easier.

Hurley has been long recognized as a compassionate hospital. As an independent hospital it has carefully managed its resources in order to become a cutting-edge medical center, providing advanced care to patients in 15 counties throughout Mid-Michigan, Northern Michigan and the Thumb.

As technology advances, Hurley officials said they’ve made it a priority to value investments and make the investments work to their maximum. In partnership with the global data research company Statista Inc., Newsweek created the World’s Best Smart Hospital 2021 rankings based on worldwide recommendations from hospital managers and medical professionals, analyzing more than 13,000 votes in a survey on smart hospitals.