Israeli hospitals named among ‘World’s Best Smart Hospitals’
The list, compiled by the American magazine and the data firm Statista, names the top 250 hospitals that “best avail themselves of the most advanced technologies,” project editor David H. Freedman explained in his introduction to the index. “They lead in their use of AI, robotic surgery, digital imaging, telemedicine, smart buildings, information technology infrastructure and EHRs. The hospitals on this list are the ones to watch.”
EHRs are electronic health records.
From Israel, these hospitals are Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer (ranked No. 13), Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (No. 84), Hadassah-University Medical Center (No. 196) and Rabin Medical Center (No. 215).
The list is based on recommendations from hospital directors and medical innovation experts from around the world who rated the centers according to the categories above. A three-step evaluation process included in-depth interviews with experts in the field and recommendations from the hospitals; a survey of more than 13,000 physicians, hospital and health administrators; and then the information was ranked.
“The pandemic put hospitals through the ultimate stress test,” Freedman wrote. “By forcing them to adapt to waves of COVID-19 patients, changing treatment protocols, faltering supply chains and a massive vaccine rollout, to name just a few of the challenges of the past year, the outbreak drove home the importance of advanced technology.
“The hospitals that best weathered the crisis were by and large the ones that were already open to integrating new technologies and taking advantage of data-driven opportunities as they became available,” he continued. “This lesson may turn out to be one of the most profound and lasting effects of the pandemic.”
According to Freedman, the market for smart-hospital technology is expected to reach $35 billion in 2021 and as much as $83 billion by 2026.
“The election of Hadassah to this honorable list arouses immense pride at the national level,” said the hospital’s interim CEO Yoram Weiss. “Our hospital staff members, in every sector and position, are the driving force - and have the extensive knowledge - to make use of advanced and smart technologies, many of which are groundbreaking at the global level.”
Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman