Two Greater Des Moines health systems again have garnered national recognition for their use of information technology to advance patient care.

Broadlawns Medical Center was recognized for a fifth consecutive year, and UnityPoint Health was recognized for the fourth year in a row as being among the nation’s “Most Wired Health Systems” by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.

Broadlawns and UnityPoint Health were among 400 hospitals and health systems nationally to earn this distinction and among eight hospitals in Iowa that garnered the recognition. The 2015 Most Wired survey contacted participants representing more than 2,200 hospitals.

This was the first time that Broadlawns, which is Polk County’s safety net hospital, was recognized among the large-tier hospitals in the rankings.

“We look forward to participating in the Most Wired survey process each year, and it’s an honor to be recognized as a Most Wired hospital,” said Kyle Hansen, director of Information Technology Services at Broadlawns. “The survey serves as a helpful tool because it provides us with feedback as to how we can continue to advance our technology initiatives at Broadlawns.”

Broadlawns uses a patient portal, an online tool that provides patients with the ability to access information and resources needed to coordinate their health care services. Patients have the opportunity to communicate securely with their providers, schedule appointments, review their medical history and access general health care information. This technology provides resources that patients can leverage to achieve quality health care outcomes and access to their health care information.

UnityPoint Health, based in West Des Moines and providing care in nine regions within a three-state area — Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin — received the honor for its ability to leverage information technology to improve care.

As hospitals and health systems begin to transition away from volume- to value-based care, UnityPoint Health uses information technology to better facilitate information exchange across care settings. This includes greater alignment between hospitals and physicians.

Additionally, UnityPoint Health focuses on getting patients actively involved in their health and health care through the patient portal.

“Protecting health information is a top priority for UnityPoint Health,” said Bill Leaver, president and CEO of UnityPoint Health. “Security is the foundation of our strategy, and we work to incorporate technological innovation into the fabric of our organization — as shown by our patient portal, health tools and applications and electronic medical records.”