Health Data Management articles from June 2003

Health Data Management archives from June 2003

A HIPAA Journey.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
June 1, 2003... I sat down in the dentist's chair the other day, and I was handed a colorful brochure. "This explains your privacy rights under a new federal law," the hygienist explained. "I know, I know...it's about HIPAA right?" I asked. "Yes," she said, a...

I.T. a Helpful Tool During Tense SARS Lockdown.(a discussion of how Ontario handled the SARS outbreak)
June 1, 2003... Last March, three travelers from China suffering from severe acute respiratory syndrome infected staff members at a Toronto hospital. As SARS cases started appearing elsewhere in the city, hospitals asked staff, volunteers and visitors to stay...

Software Helps Fight Fraud and Abuse Problem.(a discussion of fraudulent billing)
June 1, 2003... Some time ago, a provider organization on the Eastern Seaboard submitted a surgical claim under the surgeon's name. A few days later, the organization submitted a corresponding claim for the same procedure-but with a different date-under the...

Tablet PCs Finding a Niche in Health Care.(health care provider organizations are turning to Tablet PCs)
June 1, 2003... Some provider organizations are finding a place for Tablet PCs, a new generation of tablet computers running a Microsoft operating system that was introduced with great fanfare late last year. At the Hematology Group of South Florida in...

'Health Data Management' Goes Mobile.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The award-winning online news section of Health Data Management magazine as well as other Web-based editorial content is now accessible via personal digital assistants. Any HDM reader can view the latest health care I.T. news stories along with...

HHS Lays Out HIPAA Enforcement.(Department of Health and Human Services)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Department of Health and Human Services published an interim final HIPAA enforcement rule in the Federal Register, available at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html. HHS calls the interim final rule the first installment of a HIPAA...

Lawsuit Filed Against Privacy Rule.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... A coalition of seven organizations and four private citizens has filed suit seeking the overturn of certain provisions of HIPAA's final privacy rule, which went into effect April 14. The lawsuit, filed April 10 in Federal District Court in...

HHS Clarifies Research Use of Data.(Department of Health and Human Services)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Drug giant Eli Lilly & Company recently expressed concern to Department of Health and Human Services officials that the HIPAA privacy rule may impede clinical research trials. Institutional review boards are backlogged with requests to review...

Leapfrog Changes CPOE Criteria.(the Leapfrog Group revises the criteria its large employer members use to assess the quality of hospital care)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Leapfrog Group has revised the criteria its large employer members use to assess the quality of hospital care. The Washington-based coalition is pressing hospitals to: implement computerized physician order entry systems; staff intensive...

Organizations Offer Privacy Guidelines.(Customer Potential Management Marketing Group)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Two organizations are offering focused guidelines on the HIPAA privacy rule as providers and payers confront the recent compliance deadline. The American Hospital Association reminds members of the availability of guidelines for releasing...

Network Links First Responders.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... An electronic network linking more than 60 local public health agencies in Texas has sent out more than 200 health alerts since becoming operational in August 2002. The network, called the Texas Health Alert Network, includes a database with...

HHS Site Tracks Home Health Quality.(Department of Health and Human Services)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Department of Health and Human Services has posted comparative quality data about home health agencies on its consumer Web site, www.medicare.gov. Data on the site includes 11 quality measures for home health agencies in eight states:...

Study: Electronic Records Reap Savings.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Using a computer-based patient records system can save a provider organization $86,400 per provider over five years, according to a study published in this month's American Journal of Medicine. Researchers at Brigham & Women's Hospital and...

PDA Software in CareTools' Box.(personal digital assistants )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... CareTools Inc., a Seattle-based start-up, has introduced hand-held coding and charting software for trauma and critical care physicians. The software for personal digital assistants is based on the Pocket Chart electronic medical records...

Securing Data on Hand-Helds.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Bluefire Security Technologies, Baltimore, has introduced security software for hand-held computing devices. The software, called Mobile Firewall Plus, includes encryption and enforcement of power-on passwords; device-level alerts to changes in...

Cerner, Abbott Build Medication System.(Abbott Laboratories)(Cerner Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Software vendor Cerner Corp. and pharmaceutical/medical device manufacturer Abbott Laboratories will develop and market a point-of-care medication management system for infusion therapy. The effort will integrate information systems from Kansas...

IDX to Sell EDiX to Total eMed.(IDX Systems Corp.)(EDiX Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Total eMed, a Franklin, Tenn.-based electronic medical transcription vendor, will acquire EDiX Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Burlington, Vt.-based IDX Systems Corp., for $64 million. The subsidiary offers outsourced medical transcription...

Medifax-EDI Buys Medi Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Medifax-EDI, a Nasvhille, Tenn.-based vendor of electronic claims management services, has acquired Medi Inc., a vendor of application service provider-based claims services. Financial terms were not disclosed. According to an agreement,...

Messaging, Storage Vendors Integrate.(Message Monitor 5.2 messaging software by Tumbleweed Comunications Corp. with the Centera Content storage software by EMC Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Tumbleweed Communications Corp., Redwood City, Calif., has integrated its Message Monitor 5.2 secure messaging software with the Centera content storage software of EMC Corp., Hopkinton, Mass. Centera is designed to address storage requirements...

Hand-Helds Integrate with Siemens.(MDeverywhere Inc. deal with Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... MDeverywhere Inc. has integrated its software for hand-held computing devices with the PDAccess Clinical Summary application from Siemens Medical Solutions Health Services Corp. This means physicians using MDeverywhere's EveryCharge and...

PracticeWorks Offers WebMD Dental.(software technology deal)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... PracticeWorks Inc., an Atlanta-based vendor of dental information technology, will use dental transaction processing services from WebMD Envoy, Elmwood Park, N.J., in its software. Under an agreement, PracticeWorks will offer WebMD Envoy's...

PACS, Scheduling Venture Pays Off.(DR Systems Inc. deal with ScheduleQuest Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... DR Systems Inc., a San Diego-based vendor of picture archiving and communication systems, recently integrated its technology with Web-based scheduling software from ScheduleQuest Inc., Kissimmee, Fla. Now, the vendors have sold their first...

Financial Vendor Links with Research Agency.(Mezzia Inc. joint venture with ECRI)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Mezzia Inc., an Indianapolis-based health care capital resource planning and management systems vendor and ECRI, a Plymouth Meeting, Pa.-based not-for-profit health care services research agency, will integrate their services. According to the...

SSI Gives HIPAA Testing Discounts.(SSI Group Inc. with Claredi Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The SSI Group Inc., a Mobile, Ala.-based vendor of claims management software and transactions processing services, will offer its clients 20% discounts on HIPAA testing and certification services through Claredi Corp., Kaysville, Utah. Claredi...

HealthWyse Passes HIPAA Test.(United Government Services)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... HealthWyse, a Reading, Mass.-based vendor of software for home health and hospice providers, has successfully tested HIPAA-compliant claims transactions with United Government Services, a Medicare fiscal intermediary. HealthWyse sells financial...

McLaren Expands Outsourcing Deal.(McLaren Health Care Corp. contracts Provider HealthNet Services Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... McLaren Health Care Corp., an integrated delivery system serving mid-Michigan, has expanded its information technology outsourcing contract with Provider HealthNet Services Inc., Addison, Texas. McLaren Health, based in Flint, Mich., in early...

HIMSS Introduces New Davies Award.(American Hospital Association Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society has introduced a new Davies Award of Excellence to recognize primary care practices for successful implementations of electronic health records. Independent primary care practices with...

Privacy Training for Long-term Care.(Healthcare Training Strategies L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Healthcare Training Strategies LLC, Raleigh, N.C., has released a version of its HIPAA Privacy Tool Kit for long-term care facilities. The privacy compliance kit includes a training video that presents real-life scenarios to show administrators...

NDCHealth Teams with SureScripts.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... NDCHealth Corp., Atlanta, will use translating and routing services from SureScripts, Alexandria, Va., to facilitate electronic communication between prescribers and pharmacies. Atlanta-based NDCHealth is a major processor of pharmacy claims...

Quantum Gets HIPAA Certified.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Quantum Health Automation Inc.)(Claredi Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Quantum Health Automation Inc., an Evansville, Ind.-based claims clearinghouse, has received certification from two third-party vendors that its claim and claim status transactions are HIPAA compliant. Certification from Kaysville, Utah-based...

Vendor Makes Software HIPAA Ready.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Waltham, Mass.-based athenahealth Inc. has released version 8.0 of athenaNet, its Web-based platform powering the vendor's physician practice management and collections management software. The company designed new features in athenaNet to...

Lab Vendor Offers VPN Service.(Psyche Systems Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Psyche Systems Corp., a vendor of standalone and remotely hosted laboratory and pathology information systems, has expanded its hosting capabilities. Currently, the Milford, Mass.-based company hosts the software via frame relay networks. It...

Wireless Speeds Charge Capture.(PracticeXpert Services Corp., www.pxservices.com)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... PracticeXpert Services Corp. is a vendor of outsourced billing services and software enabling physicians to capture charges at the point of care using hand-held computing devices. Charge data is transmitted to a billing system when the...

Software Helps Focus Marketing.(CRM View by Solucient L.L.P.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Evanston, Ill.-based Solucient has introduced CRM View, remotely hosted customer relationship management software for health care organizations. The software is built upon the vendor's existing HouseholdView survey service, which gathers data...

Companion Tech Goes Clinical.(Companion Technologies to launch electronic medical records software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Columbia, S.C.-based Companion Technologies will launch Companion EMR, electronic medical records software. The vendor of physician practice management software and claims clearinghouse services previously marketed the MedicWare EMR 5.0 from...

Payer: Let Patients Rate Quality.(Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, New Jersey at www.horizonbcbsnj.com)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has introduced Web-based services that enable its members to rate the quality of care they receive from physicians and hospitals. The Newark-based plan has launched MyQualityCoach, a Web portal from...

HDM Again Named 'Best Online News'.(American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors award)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... For the second year in a row, the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors has awarded the Gold Medal to Health Data Management magazine in the "Best Online News Section" category. Now in its third year, the Twinsburg, Ohio based...

Take the Quick Poll...(www.healthdatamanagement.com)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Visit the Health Data Management Web site and express your opinion on one of health care I.T.'s hot topics. Your comments may appear in a future Readers' Perspectives department. www.healthdatamanagement.com Copyright 2003 Thomson Media...

Stock Chart.(health care software and technology companies United States)(Illustration)
June 1, 2003... (part 1 of 2) Price Price as One on a % of 52 month Health care software companies 5/6/03 Wk High Change ...

The Main Event: Best-of-Breed vs. Single-Source.(health care industry software purchasing)
June 1, 2003... Question: Which is the better software purchasing strategy, single-source or best-of-breed? Answer: Yes. That answer becomes more clear when provider and payer organization decision makers list the mitigating factors that come into play...

Hitting the Suite Spot.(Saint Joseph's Hospital, Marshfield, Wisconsin)
June 1, 2003... What started out with a 1992 contract for time and attendance software has grown into the latest software strategy for Saint Joseph's Hospital. Now the Marshfield, Wis.-based 504-bed hospital is a living example of a new software purchasing...

Doing Your Homework: Execs should analyze vendors' financial statements before they sign on the dotted line.(health data management software purchasing)
June 1, 2003... Selecting software can be a multi-million dollar decision that directly affects a health care organization's bottom line. That's why CIOs, CFOs and other executives routinely conduct extensive research before signing a contract. Checking...

Cerner.(finance)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Cerner Corp., Kansas City, Mo. (for first quarter 2003) Revenue: $198.2 million Net Income: $5.6 million Operating Cash Flow: $21.9 million Total Cash: $135.03 million Days Sales Outstanding: 115 days ...

Eclipsys.(finance)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Eclipsys Corp., Boca Raton, Fla. (for first quarter 2003) Revenue: $56.8 million Net Loss: $13 million Operating Cash Flow: $1.2 million Total Cash: $180 million Days Sales Outstanding: 71 Eclipsys'...

Where to go for financial info.(health care information technology listings)(Brief Article)(Directory)
June 1, 2003... Financial information about health care I.T. vendors is available on numerous Web sites. A good way to get pertinent financial data is through a vendor's own Web site, analysts say. In addition, the following sites provide financial data and...

Neoforma.(finance)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Neoforma Inc., San Jose, Calif. (for first quarter 2003) First Quarter Revenue: $3.3 million Operating Cash Flow: -$1.9 million Total Cash: $23.4 million Days Sales Outstanding: N/A Neoforma, a vendor of...

WebMD.(finance)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... WebMD Corp., Elmwood Park, N.J. (for first quarter 2003) First Quarter Revenue: $234.7 million Operating Cash Flow: $33.95 million Total Cash: $686 million Days Sales Outstanding: N/A WebMD, after years of...

I.T. Part of Payers' New Game Plans: Payers are using software to improve customer service and health.(information technology)
June 1, 2003... Managed care organizations spend about 85% of member premiums on health care and between 10% and 15% on administrative expenses. What's left is profit. "If you can contain health care costs and manage administrative expenses properly, then...

Let Someone Else Deal with the Software.(outsourcing at Blue Cross & Blue Shield Association, Rhode Island)
June 1, 2003... Executives at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island considered four critical issues when deciding whether to outsource significant operations of the organization. Issue No.1: How will staff members be treated? The winning vendor, Perot...

Making Connections Across an Enterprise: Enterprise resource planning systems are tough to implement, but can provide a big payback.(health data management)
June 1, 2003... After a multi-hospital merger, the 10 facilities of Centura Health were using duplicate, incongruous financial applications. The Englewood, Colo.-based delivery system wanted to consolidate and integrate these systems to gain efficiencies and...

Electronic Procurement Software Adds to ERP.(enterprise resource planning)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Yale-New Haven Health System was satisfied with how its enterprise resource planning system integrated and consolidated enterprisewide supply orders. But it recently decided that electronic commerce would help it squeeze even more money out of...

An Information Excavation: Las Vegas payer uses data mining software to improve HEDIS reporting and provider profiling.(Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set)
June 1, 2003... About five years ago, Sierra Health Services Inc. spelled out three goals for its then new data mining software: improve HEDIS reporting, enhance provider profiling and enrich quality improvement. However, "dirty data" produced a two-year delay...

Staving Off Big Hack Attack: Two delivery systems take different approaches to testing vulnerability.(health data management systems)
June 1, 2003... Nothing keeps CIOs up at night like worrying about hackers attacking their information networks. Consequently, one would think paying a team of hackers to assault your I.T. isn't exactly the road to a good night's sleep. At Sutter Health,...

I.T. Helps Show Them the Money: Patient accounting software helps provider shorten its revenue cycle, build cash reserves and decrease debts.(information technology)
June 1, 2003... When it comes to getting paid, provider organizations often find themselves doing a lot of billing but not much receiving. There are many weak links in the complex health care billing chain. When the process breaks down, the revenue...

A View From Afar: Vanderbilt University uses a telemedicine program to help diagnose a devastating eye disease before it's too late.(helping the indigent in Nashville, Tennessee)
June 1, 2003... A few miles can mean the difference between sight and permanent darkness for diabetic patients in inner-city Nashville, Tenn. Diabetic retinopathy-damage to blood vessels that supply the retina-is the leading cause of blindness for adult...

Contracts Update.(health care information technology deals listings)(Illustration)
June 1, 2003... The Contracts Update section includes announcements of contracts that health care information technology companies have signed with customers in recent weeks. Contract news can be sent to Health Data Management via electronic mail to:...

Advertiser Index.(listings United States)(Directory)(Illustration)
June 1, 2003... Advertiser Site Addresses Page # ACER www.acer.com/us 69 Amcom www.amcomsoft.com 16 API www.api-wi.com 89 Baxter www.baxter.com 25 Cardinal Health www.cardinal.com ...

Commercial and governmental health care payers should make the use of information technology to detect and prevent fraud and abuse a top priority.(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... AGREE Nick Armenti Program director Gosnold-Thorne CC, Centerville, Mass. "Human nature being what it is requires close watching and accountability. As long as the health care industry pays for services rendered primarily...