The 47 hospitals below just garnered double distinctions. First, they were listed among America's Best Hospitals, U.S. News & World Report's ranking of hospitals based on their expertise, their ability to save lives, their reputation among specialists, their commitment to nursing excellence, and several other factors. They also made the "100 Most Wired, " a list of hospitals and health systems with the most complete information technology compiled by Hospitals & Health Networks, a publication of the American Hospital Association.

What does it mean to be most wired? About 1,200 hospitals were surveyed, and the 100 finalists made the most use of it in five different areas:

• SAFETY AND QUALITY. Reducing errors in prescribing medications, providing clinicians with patients' electronic health records, monitoring changes in patients' conditions and providing real-time alerts to staff, and more.
• CUSTOMER SERVICE. This involves services such as preregistering patients and helping them research health problems.
• BUSINESS. Buying supplies and conducting financial transactions with insurance companies are part of this area.
• WORKFORCE. Training physicians and other clinicians, and measuring staff performance, among other things.
• PUBLIC HEALTH. Participating in health cooperatives, using security measures to safeguard patient confidentiality, and monitoring and improving specific clinical practices.

100 Most Wired Hospitals:

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, Ill.*

Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee*

Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation, Dallas*

Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas*

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston*

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston*

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles

Children's Hospital Boston

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh*

Christ Hospital and Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Ill.*

Community Health Partners Regional Health System, Lorain, Ohio*

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, N.H.

Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.*

F.G. McGaw Hospital at Loyola University, Maywood, Ill.

Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.*

Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati*

Hackensack University Medical Center, N.J.

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia*

Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Va.*

Jewish Hospital, Louisville, Ky.

LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City*

Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, Pa.*

Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh*

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston*

McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.*

Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston*

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York

Methodist Hospital, Houston*

New England Baptist Hospital, Boston*

Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago

Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus*

Ohio State University James Cancer Hospital, Columbus*

Poudre Valley Hospital, Fort Collins, Colo.*

Rush-Copley Medical Center, Aurora, Ill.

Rush University Medical Center, Chicago

Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk, Va.*

Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston*

St. Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center, Youngstown, Ohio*

St. Luke's Medical Center, Milwaukee*

Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston*

University Hospital, Albuquerque, N.M.*

University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham*

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center*

University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison*

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville*

Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C.*

Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.*

* In a healthcare system named on the "100 most-wired" list
Note: Hospitals & Health Networks is a publication of the American Hospital Association.