How Healthcare IT News picked its 2011 best hospital IT departments

By Mike Moran, Project Editor

Many things may strike you while reading about the winners in Healthcare IT News' first-ever "Where To Work: BEST Hospital IT Departments." But perhaps most importantly, the best IT departments demonstrate deep respect for employees and appreciate their hard work.

That was this project's goal: Determine what characteristics distinguish the best departments from all the rest. To do that, employees graded their IT departments across seven categories: day-to-day work, IT team, management, hospital leadership, workplace culture, training and development and compensation.

From start to finish, it's been quite a ride, and the 25 hospital IT departments that made the long journey to the top deserve kudos for creating workplaces where employees thrive and have fun while working incredibly hard.

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Slideshow: 10 Best Medium Hospital IT Departments, 2011

 Healthcare IT News Staff
November 30, 2011   The top 10 medium-sized hospitals in our 2011 "Best Hospital IT Departments" list all have one thing in common: They all emphasize building strong, meaningful relationships between staff members. Click through this slideshow to see the staffs of the winning medium-sized hospitals.

Slideshow: 5 Best Small Hospital IT Departments, 2011

 Healthcare IT News Staff
November 30, 2011   The small hospitals on our 2011 "Best Hospital IT Departments" list know that communication, motivation and collaboration are essential. These groups overcame everything from implementation hurdles to natural disasters to reach the top of our list.

Interactive Map: Best Hospital IT Departments 2011 By State

 Healthcare IT News Staff
November 29, 2011   View the Top 10 Large Hospitals, Top 10 Medium Hospitals, and Top 5 Small Hospitals in the Healthcare IT News Best Hospital IT Departments 2011 list.

Turnaround pays huge dividends for Mercy's HIT department

 Mike Moran
November 29, 2011   It's no wonder the IT team at Mercy Memorial Hospital System feels a little bit jazzed these days.

At Nemours, success counts, but not at the expense of employees

 Mike Moran
November 29, 2011   Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children judges CMIO David Milov on performance: If he's producing what he's supposed to on time and under budget.

Goshen offers best of both worlds: great people, enjoyable work

 Mike Moran
November 29, 2011   The people who work at Indiana University Health Goshen are not employees. They're colleagues, and that's an important distinction.

Pikeville's staff plays critical role in providing regional patient care

 Mike Moran
November 29, 2011   At Pikeville Medical Center, the IT team is not just a department that happens to be in a hospital. It's part of the care team, said IT/IS Director Rusty Shanklin.

Blessing's motto: If employees are happy, they'll do good work

 Mike Moran
November 29, 2011   Blessing Health System does everything it can to make its employees feel valued and part of a team.

Children's Hospital hard-wired to help kids live better lives

 Mike Moran
November 29, 2011   When it comes to management philosophy, CIO/CMIO George Reynolds, MD, keeps it simple: Hire good people, get out of their way, and run interference when necessary.

Water-cooler discussions fuel camaraderie at Beaufort

 Mike Moran
November 29, 2011   South Carolina's beautiful intra-coastal waterway may be a nice selling point, but Beaufort Memorial Hospital's IT department has more going for it than location, location, location. For the past 11 years, Beaufort Memorial has been named one of the nation's "Most Wired Hospitals."

Bayonne CIO embraces open-door philosophy

 John Andrews
November 29, 2011   When the warnings for Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast last August, many residents evacuated the region to escape the danger. But while throngs of people fled the scene, the IT crew at Bayonne Medical Center reported for work even though the facility was directly in the massive storm's path.

Frankfort's department stockpiles friendly, talented staff

 Rebecca Goldfine
November 29, 2011   When Craig Willard describes his IT department, he not only calls it "forward-thinking," but "fun." That balance, he says, helps his small team thrive in a hectic and constantly evolving workplace.

Saint Francis: A tight-knit group

 Rebecca Goldfine
November 29, 2011   Once people start working for Saint Francis Hospital's IT department, they're inclined to never leave.

Texas Health: A sense of adventure keeps this department on its toes and upbeat

 Michelle McNickle
November 29, 2011   Work hard and play hard is the name of the game at Texas Health Resources. The full size medical center, located in the heart of Fort Worth, has an IT department headed by CIO Ed Marx, and if there's one thing he and his team believe in, it's keeping spirits high by celebrating successes.

MedCentral: Employees enjoy the forefront of healthcare technology

 Michelle McNickle
November 29, 2011   Mike Mistretta, vice president and CIO at MedCentral Health System, doesn't feel his department needs to focus on finding good employees. That's because most of his team members are tenured and have been with MedCentral for years.

Holy Name Medical Center: Collaboration and balance create a pleasant workplace

 Michelle McNickle
November 29, 2011   At Holy Name Medical Center, the IT department is all about balance. Employees there "feel fortunate, and there's a great balance of work and home life," says CIO Mike Skvarenin.

Disney and the Ritz Carlton teach Sharp a thing or two

 Michelle McNickle
November 29, 2011   In 2000, Sharp Healthcare surveyed the surrounding community and got a wake-up call. People that took the survey said the healthcare provider was good – but not great. "They said, 'You're like everyone else,'" said Sharp's CIO Bill Spooner.

Advocate's tight team embraces education, demonstrates can-do approach to IT

 Michelle McNickle
November 29, 2011   Most of the IT employees at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center have been with the department a while. Why? In part, because "they just have a good time," says Adem Arslani, the hospital's director of information systems and informatics.

Ochsner Health System: CIO pushes a youth movement in his department

 Michelle McNickle
November 29, 2011   Millennials in the workplace can be a daunting challenge to organizations that aren't quite sure how to handle them. But Chris Belmont, CIO of Ochsner Health System, sees value in young talent – so much so that a large portion of his department's recent hiring streak is made up of 22- to 30-year-old workers.