LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the third consecutive year, Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) has received a Level 8 achievement in ambulatory and acute care in the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives’ (CHIME) 2024 Digital Most Wired Survey.

More than 48,000 facilities from around the world participated in the survey that evaluates the adoption, integration and impact of technologies across healthcare organizations, from early-stage adopters to industry leaders.

The results place ARH in the top tier of healthcare providers in such categories as cybersecurity, data science, and clinical engineering and technology.

“We are proud to recognize your organization’s exceptional dedication to digital health excellence,” said CHIME President and CEO, Russ Branzell. “Your pioneering performance in the industry not only inspires other organizations by example, but also provides patients around the world with better care.”

The Digital Health Most Wired survey and recognition program serve as a comprehensive “Digital Health Check-up” for healthcare organizations globally. As success in digital health increasingly influences patient care quality, the CHIME Digital Health Most Wired survey reflects the progress of leading healthcare providers as they reshape healthcare for the future.

Participation in the survey is optional, but ARH Chief Information Officer Montie Hodge said he believes it is an important tool as it helps identify strengths and weaknesses.

“It benchmarks us against other hospital systems throughout the world and shows us where we have opportunities for growth and improvement,” he explained. “So, then we know where IT needs to set its focus for the next year.”

Though ARH has remained at a Level 8 for three years, ARH Chief Data Scientist Brent Styer said that number represents growth rather than stagnancy.

“The survey is dynamic,” he said, explaining CHIME raises the bar each year. “They change the questions and add different areas of focus every year, so if your score remains the same, you’ve actually improved.

“You have to improve to maintain.”

Hodge said he is proud of the results and looks forward to continued growth.

“We’ve got state-of-the-art technology across ARH,” he said. “We’re standing toe-to-toe with the largest providers out there. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished. In my mind, it really sets the gold standard for us.”

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 more than 3,000 members in 58 countries plus two U.S. territories and over 190 healthcare IT business partners and professional services firms, CHIME and its three associations provide a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and

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Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), is a not-for-profit health system operating 14 hospitals in Barbourville, Hazard, Harlan, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, as well as multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores and retail pharmacies and medical spas. ARH employs approximately 6,400 people with an annual payroll and benefits of $474 million generated into our local economies. ARH also has a network of more than 1,300 providers on staff across its multi-state system. ARH is the largest provider of care and the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky, and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia