Three Triad health systems have been rated as among the “most wired” in the country by the American Hospital Association.

The annual designation follows the association’s Most Wired survey, which this year in addition to looking at the integration of electronic medical records also included how hospitals are using telehealth to expand access to specialists.

Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital in Elkin and Winston-Salem-based heath systems Novant Health and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center were among the nine honored in North Carolina.

“Hospitals are breaking out of their traditional four walls and providing care where and when patients need it,” said Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. “These Most Wired hospitals exemplify this transformation by harnessing technology, engaging patients and offering services remotely.”

Within telehealth, the survey found that stroke care is the area of most rapid growth, with a 38 percent increase in utilization from last year.

Additionally, more than a quarter of the hospitals in the list are using internet-enabled monitoring devices for management of chronic diseases such as congestive heart failure, diabetes and heart disease.

Within the realm of medical records, more than half are using electronic records in conjunction with population health tools to manage care for large swaths of patients.

Nearly two-thirds use those records to stratify patients according to risk and more than half are aggregating patient data from across various sources and providers to create a community health record.

For a full list of winners, visit www.hhnmag.com.