Health Management Technology articles from April 2008

Health Management Technology archives from April 2008

The zebra's stripes.(From the Editor)(funding of the health system)(Editorial)
April 1, 2008... The Task Force On The Funding Of The Health System (The Task Force) released its final report in February titled "Getting Our Money's Worth," in which it concludes that if the Quebec public healthcare system is to avoid going broke in the near...

ePrescribing survey shows progress.(ePrescribing)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... A recent survey of 500 participating physicians in the Southeastern Michigan ePrescribing Initiative (SEMI) finds that 70 percent say ePrescribing improves quality of care while 65 percent reported at least one prescription change in response...

CMS P4P project results.(Pay-for-Performance)
April 1, 2008... Analysis of a CMS pay-for-performance demonstration project finds significant mortality improvements among the participating hospitals. The 3-year Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (HQID) was analyzed by the Premier Healthcare alliance,...

New Google PHR.(EMR/EHR/PHR)(personal health record)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Google's new personal health record (PHR) service will be an open system, enabling third party vendors to integrate their own services directed at consumers, so says Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Speaking before a packed house at the 2008 Healthcare...

Measuring physician performance: building an effective physician performance system starts with transparency.(Health Plans and Technology)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Measuring physician performance is right up there with religion and politics as a topic to avoid at cocktail parties. It's sure to raise a few hackles. On one side, health plans, employers and government agencies are...

The federated advantage: data exchange between healthcare organizations in RHIOs is a hot topic. Can federated models end the debate?(RHIOs and the NHIN)(Regional Health Information Organization)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO). That's the catchphrase of the year--maybe of the decade. Leading edge hospitals are reporting their success in RHIO deployments as their peers observe the movement...

Leaning towards efficiency: a Georgia medical center introduces lean processes to streamline workflow.(Workflow Management: Case History)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At Meadows Regional Medical Center (MRMC) in Vidalia, Ga., it is my goal as CEO to have our employees think about our business holistically rather than just focus on doing their jobs in silos. In so doing, I believe...

Solution evolution: the maturing market for wireless point-of-care solutions demands a higher level of purchase involvement from healthcare IT leaders.(POC/Mobile Computing)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The availability of mobile computing solutions like computer and medication carts is dramatically changing the face of healthcare by streamlining workflow and clinical record keeping leading to improved patient care...

Staying home: utilizing predictive modeling with homebound patient populations can help prevent ED visits and admissions.(Predictive Modeling)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hospital inpatient stays and emergency room costs are the largest determinants in the total cost of care for the top five diagnoses in home care: congestive heart failure, diabetes, wound-related diagnoses, cancer,...

Their fair share: an academic medical group recovers $1.7 million with an automated contract-management solution.(Financial Information Systems: Case History)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When it comes to physician reimbursement, payers do not always abide by contract terms. Verifying payment accuracy for medical services, however, is a complicated venture, requiring medical groups to analyze the...

Planning for productivity: a Michigan health plan leverages its PM and EMR systems to improve the bottom line and speed access to business intelligence.(Health Plans and Technology: Case History)(Company overview)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Controlling costs and operating efficiently while ensuring fair payment to provider employees are challenges faced by many payers, including Grand Valley Health Plan (GVHP). Located in Grand Rapids, Mich., and...

Point-of-care computing cart.(Products and Services)(Artromick NX10 Mobile Computing Workstation from Artromick International Inc. )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Artromick NX10 Mobile Computing Workstation features a stable, modest footprint and, according to the manufacturer, is more than 20 percent lighter than its predecessors. An ample 15.5-inch by 21-inch work area, configurable secure storage...

Laboratory information system update.(Products and Services)(laboratory information system from Orchard Software Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Version 7.5 of the Orchard Harvest laboratory information system (LIS) features improved flexibility for delivering patient reports, which now can contain groups of locations, providers and other conditions in a single rule. Options for...

Patient registration solution.(Products and Services)(Patient registration solution from Pearson Data Management)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Docuscan Patient Registration system digitally captures registration information with proprietary Paros technology. It integrates Anoto digital pen-and-paper functionality, character recognition from Vision Objects' MyScripts, and data...

Sleek new notebook.(Products and Services)(Dell XPS M1530 from Dell Inc.)
April 1, 2008... The Dell XPS M1530 delivers a high definition 15.4-inch widescreen display, optional Blu-ray Disc drive and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless, all in a trim 1-inch profile. An Intel Core 2 Duo processor, running at speeds of up to 2.60 GHz, powers Windows...

Compact nursing unit.(Products and Services)(Freedom 3 Workstation from Rioux Vision Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Freedom 3 Workstation by Rioux Vision Inc. features electronic vertical adjustment, onboard computer powered by a 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile Processor, and Windows XP Professional. A 16 GB expandable flash drive provides data storage...

Mobile medication workstation.(Products and Services)(Stinger Medical Levitator mobile workstation from Stinger Medical)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Stinger Medical Levitator mobile workstation is designed for laptop applications and includes a push-button combination locking medication drawer for simple, secure and convenient medication distribution. The right and left hand drawers of...

Revenue cycle management services.(Products and Services)(medical practice software from NextGen Healthcare Information Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... NextGen Healthcare is offering its revenue cycle management services to physician practices through an outsourced, web-delivered software-as-a-service model with the launch of a new business division, NextGen Practice Solutions. Among the...

Chargemaster update.(Products and Services)(CDM Master from MedAssets Net Revenue Systems)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The updated CDM Master by MedAssets Net Revenue Systems features refined workflow capabilities to eliminate the variability of information shared via e-mail and serves as a single source for chargemaster update/ change status and history. A...

Barcode printer.(Products and Services)(LM4e bar-code printer from Sato America Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The LM4e bar-code printer from SATO is constructed of an all-metal chassis and produces labels of up to 4.1 inches print width using linear and 2-D symbologies. The printer also features 8.6 inches OD label roll capacity, 6-inches-per-second...

HealthEdge.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... OneBeacon Professional Partners (OBPP), a division of Massachusetts-based OneBeacon Insurance Group, is using the HealthRules software platform from HealthEdge Software Inc. for claims processing and benefits administration. OBPP implemented...

MphasiS Healthcare Solutions.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... WorldDoc Inc. is using MphasiS' WEBeci solution to streamline access to its health management system and expand its technology platform and applications beyond the realm of claims administration to the broader scope of employee health and...

InSite One.(NewsMakers)
April 1, 2008... The InDex Archive, a long-term digital diagnostic imaging storage and disaster recovery solution from InSite One, continues to swell in size at a rate of 12 terabytes of medical information per week. The archive's secure, state-of-the-art...

Precision Imaging Centers.(NewsMakers)(new clinical imaging center opened in Jacksonville)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... A new clinical imaging center opened in Jacksonville, Fla., accepting all patients and most third-party payers. The 8,400-square foot facility features some of the most advanced GE MRI, PET/CT and digital mammography equipment and clinical...

Navicure.(NewsMakers)
April 1, 2008... Rocky Mountain Gastroenterology Associates based in Lakewood, Colo., is using Navicure for enhancing its revenue cycle management. The 21-physician practice expects the core claims management application and electronic remittance posting and...

Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc.(NewsMakers)(McKesson and Toshiba America Medical Systems expanded their distribution arrangement)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... McKesson and Toshiba America Medical Systems expanded their distribution arrangement, adding cardiovascular medical solutions. The amended agreement has Toshiba offering McKesson's Horizon Cardiology Hemo as an option for the Infinix portfolio...

InterSystems Corp.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Lockheed Martin Canada selected InterSystems' Ensemble integration software for the Canadian Forces Health Information System (CFHIS). In 2002, Lockheed Martin was awarded a 10-year, $54.5 million contract to develop the CFHIS program. The...

World Wide Packets.(NewsMakers)(World Wide Packets provides information systems to Iowa Health System )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The largest integrated healthcare system in the state, Iowa Health System (IHS), deployed the Lightning Edge platform from carrier Ethernet solutions provider World Wide Packets. The solution operates in a Layer 2 environment and manages...

McKesson Health Solutions.(NewsMakers)(Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Inc. signed an agreement with McKesson Corp.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Inc. (BCBSMA) signed an agreement with McKesson Corp., to implement the full suite of InterQual products. The terms enable BCBSMA to expand use of the behavioral health criteria to its 3 million members...

InteGreat.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Great Falls Clinic, located in Great Falls, Mont., implemented the IC-Chart EHR solution along with IntelliDose software from InteGreat for oncology clinical information. The software interfaces with the EHR clinicwide and is used by 25...

Geonetric.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... ProHealth Care improved its consumer Web site information architecture design and navigability with the VitalSite content management system from Geonetric. The Wisconsin-based regional network of critical and primary care providers upgraded the...

CliniComp.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The U.S. Department of Defense deployed the full clinical suite of Essentris enterprise solutions at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Germany, the largest military hospital outside of the U.S. and the only American tertiary care...

NextGen Healthcare.(NewsMakers)(Tidewater Physicians Multispecialty Group purchased software licenses from NextGen)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Tidewater Physicians Multispecialty Group (TPMG) purchased software licenses from NextGen for its electronic medical records and enterprise practice management system. TPMG uses the software to improve patient care by sharing clinical data...

CareStream Health Inc.(NewsMakers)(Med-Link Technologies Inc. signed marketing agreement with CareStream Health Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... MedLink International Inc. and the company formerly known as Eastman Kodak Health Group, CareStream Health Inc., signed a co-marketing agreement that has both companies promoting each other's medical imaging, software solutions and information...

Medical Present Value (MPV).(NewsMakers)
April 1, 2008... Three Midwest multispecialty groups are utilizing financial tools and services from MPV to improve payer contract management processes and audit reimbursement. The three practices are: Quincy Medical Group, Quincy, Ill.; Medical Associates...

Convergence CT.(NewsMakers)(ITOCHU Corp. and Convergence CT signed a 5-year distribution agreement )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Tokyo-based ITOCHU Corp. and Convergence CT (CCT), a healthcare informatics company headquartered in Honolulu, signed a 5-year distribution agreement to jointly promote, market, distribute, license and supply CCT's Clinical Data Warehouse...

Perceptive Software.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Norton Healthcare streamlined its paper-based accounts payable, materials management and human resources processes with the ImageNow enterprise document management software solution from Perceptive Software. The Kentucky-based healthcare system...

ScImage.(NewsMakers)(Veteran's Health Administration awarded a contract to ScImage)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) awarded a contract for the VHA's teleradiology program to ScImage. Under the terms of the contract, VHA data centers are housing the ScImage solution and provide a virtual reading environment from...

Health Dialog.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The primary health insurer in France, the Caisse Nationale de l'Assurance Maladie des Travailleurs Salaries (CNAMTS), selected Health Dialog to support the country's first whole person care management pilot program. The Boston-based company is...

Viztek Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Viztek permission to proceed with the marketing of their new OpalRad integrated RIS/PACS solution. The comprehensive image management and reporting system relies on a single integrated database that...

Privacy safeguards in PHR adoption.(Thought Leaders)(personal health record )
April 1, 2008... Several incidents of recent years explain why healthcare consumers remain concerned about the privacy, security and confidentiality of their personal health information. In 2006, a database containing sensitive information about veterans and...