Health Management Technology articles from August 2004

Health Management Technology archives from August 2004

Here today, here tomorrow.(From The Editor)(Book Review)
August 1, 2004... Nicholas G. Carr rocked a few worlds last year with his controversial "IT Doesn't Matter" article in Harvard Business Review. His premise--that because IT is so pervasive, it no longer qualifies as a competitive distinction and, hence, doesn't...

Maryland establishes first patient safety center.(Patient Safety)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Maryland Hospital Association (MHA) and the Delmarva Foundation, the state's quality improvement organization, will lead Maryland's Patient Safety Center. The state Health Care Commission appointed the two organizations to lead a nonprofit...

Massachusetts health organizations share clinical data.(Patient Safety)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Three leading central Massachusetts healthcare organizations will jointly pioneer a technology-based patient safety initiative. Fallon Clinic, Fallon Community Health Plan and UMass Memorial Health Care have partnered to form the SAFE Health...

Expert: look closely to find the ROI in EHRs.(Electronic Health Records)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Many organizations remain skeptical about whether high dollar EHRs can provide anticipated return on investment (ROI), according to consultant Margaret Amatayakul, who launched the Computer-based Patient Record Institute in 1997. "Some...

Report: docs increasingly rely on PDAs.(Handheld Technology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The use of handheld devices continues to grow as more physicians rely on PDAs and similar products to provide clinical decision support and patient and personal information, according to Forrester Research. As such, many IT departments must...

Web directory aids physician selection via quality.(Consumer-Directed Healthcare)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A new online tool can help consumers select physicians by documented quality of care rather than traditional means like location, reputation or word of mouth. A database, the result of a partnership between the GeoAccess division of Ingenix and...

Angioplasty database allows docs to share information.(Health Plans)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A statewide angioplasty data registry has helped Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) save $8 million annually in cardiovascular care costs. About 20 hospitals affiliated with the health plan use the database. The registry includes...

Patients pay for electronic records access, e-prescribing.(Physician Practices)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A Massachusetts physician practice has put its own spin on electronic patient communication and records access. Arlington-based Renaissance Health will charge patients $40 a month for electronic access to medical records, e-mail and telephone...

Grass-roots group seeks nationwide emergency database.(Emergency Info Tech)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... If a Washington, D.C.-based grass-roots group has its way, an emergency provider database would give 80,000 public safety agencies access to an Internet database of maps, telephone numbers, street addresses and Web sites for their counterparts...

Investments pay off with financial information systems; CFOs are more involved than ever in missions to integrate clinical data with financial data, and then mine it to maximize financial outcomes.(Financial Information Systems)
August 1, 2004... Sooner or later, all expenditures and billings recorded on the clinical side of a healthcare organization wind up in the financial department. Too often, though, clinical applications and financial applications operate independently of one...

Record rollout for physicians: major Massachusetts medical center deploys electronic medical record system for nearly 80 ambulatory practices.(EMRs/CPRs: case history)
August 1, 2004... Deploying an electronic medical record (EMR) system can be a challenge for many healthcare providers, but getting a major regional hospital and its tens of clinics and thousands of users up and running with one is a challenge of another...

Getting ready for an EMR: physician practices should consider several key factors before selecting an electronic medical record system.(EMRs/CPRs)(Electronic Medical Record)
August 1, 2004... Each year, electronic medical record (EMR) systems are deployed in many physician practices throughout the world, with clear clinical and financial objectives. However, some of these systems are later deinstalled by practices that have found...

Hardly child's play: implementing a pediatric-specific, integrated CPOE system: midwest pediatric hospital tackles all the hurdles--needs assessment, clinician buy-in, training and measuring results--as it strengthens its patient safety efforts with wireless CPOE.(CPOE: case history)
August 1, 2004... Implementation of a new clinical system in any healthcare organization is a serious undertaking. Organizations that have installed, and then de-installed, major clinical systems know firsthand that the requirements of successful implementation...

Optimizing patient flow in the enterprise: hospitals can combine process management with information technology to redesign patient flow for maximum efficiency and clinical outcomes.(Workflow Automation)
August 1, 2004... It's a normal Sunday afternoon for 54-year-old Anne West until she, experiences sharp chest pain. Her husband isn't home, so she calls for an ambulance to drive her to the ED. Anne suffers from acute myocardial infarction--a heart attack. Any...

Automated benefits management enables efficiency; benefits and insurance manager chooses ASP health benefits management system for advanced reporting, improved claims processing and secure disaster recovery.(Internet applications/ASPs: what works)(application service provider)
August 1, 2004... Self-insured companies and third party administrators alike share the challenge of minimizing the operational costs of health benefits management while maximizing the benefits of the latest in automated technology-all while staying within...

Electronically enhanced therapy: behavioral health plan rolls out online, interactive "coaching" series for members.(Behavioral Health)
August 1, 2004... A behavioral health plan hopes a recently launched online educational series will target members who want to use the Internet to enhance treatment options. As part of its Emotional Well-Being program, CIGNA Behavioral Health (CBH) rolled...

Self-service done right: New England health plan combines IT consolidation, outsourcing, Web-based technology and process redesign to achieve its business strategy.(Health Plans & Technology)
August 1, 2004... From airport kiosks to online shopping, self-service is today's watchword. In healthcare, no one knows this like health plans. With a multitude of constituencies to serve including members, employers, brokers and providers, health plans are...

Best practices reduce costs of chronic care; northeast MCO uses predictive modeling, simple data mining and enhanced provider relations to manage the medical costs and personal impact of diabetes.(Disease management: case history)
August 1, 2004... The costs of chronic care have placed a strain on the current healthcare system, accounting for approximately 80 percent of total healthcare costs. In addition, the upswing in diabetes in America is a troublesome one. According to the...

Taming the tiger: Johns Hopkins Health System employs automation to tackle the organizational management of thousands of annual alerts and recall notices.(What works: alerts management)(Johns Hopkins Health System)
August 1, 2004... The management of recalls and alerts in healthcare is a complex, challenging issue. It is often under-resourced and not clearly understood. Typically, it receives minimal organizational focus until an event impacts a patient. That was the case...

Financial information systems hotlist.(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... FINANCIAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS HOTLIST Company ADL Date Systems CPSI Inc. RSLeads Number www.rsleads.com/ www.rsleads.com/ 408ht-227 ...

Benefits administration system.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... Scalable to accommodate millions of members, Resolution is a benefits administration system that allows health plans and payers to converge onto a single system for all of their back-office administrative operations while using their existing...

UPS for next-generation needs.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... The Powerware 9390 is a three-phase uninterruptible power system (UPS) designed to offer a combination of power performance, battery management, scalable architecture, flexibility and service. It features a double-conversion design that...

Enterprise encryption management.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... The Central Administration application provides encryption management controls and capabilities to the FileAssurity OpenPGP file encryption system. It delivers functions such as setting fine-grained policy rules, supporting information...

Online care management platform.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... CarePlanner Web version 3.0 is a next-generation Web platform that integrates case, disease and utilization management to identify patients needing to be managed within particular disease management plans, enabling managed care organizations to...

Portable patient chart.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... Residing on a keychain device or a Bluetooth-enabled device such as a cellphone or PDA, MedcomSoft Portable Chart (MPC) is a complete and detailed electronic medical record that contains all of the patient's health information. Built with...

Single sign-on appliance.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... OneSign version 2.0 is an easy-to-install and -manage security appliance that makes enterprise single sign on (SSO) a practical solution for any size organization. It utilizes a distributed architecture that combines the benefits of client-side...

Diagnostic-quality Workstation.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... New functionality provided by eFilm Workstation version 1.9 includes advanced volume rendering, an enhanced multi-planar reconstruction tool, enhanced orthopedic template capabilities, customizable toolbars based on individual user preferences,...

EMR upgrade.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... TouchWorks version 9.2 adds new features to the modular EMR system, which documents clinical encounters, automates physician activities such as prescribing, dictating, capturing charges, ordering lab tests and viewing results, and provides...

Document routing software.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... Compatible with most common document management systems, SNAPSflow automates the flow of inbound and outbound documents from fax servers, scanners or file systems by applying business rules to the documents. The software also routes and...

Medical practice EMR.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... d-Chart is an EMR and document management system that lets clinicians use charting techniques such as handwriting or dictation already in place at their practices. Physicians and nurses enter data onto their existing forms using a digital pen...

PACS film digitizer station.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... The IOC PACS Appliance offers diagnostic imaging providers an efficient way to scan film and send images to their PACS system from multiple remote locations in a hospital. It consists of a DiagnosticPRO Advantage scanner from VIDAR Systems,...

Mobile hospital rounds program.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... Designed for use on pocket PCs and other Windows-compatible handheld devices, the Mobile Inpatient Rounding application allows physicians to wirelessly retrieve updated patient and clinical resources needed for hospital rounds. Features...

Consumer-directed solutions for payers.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... The Advanced Consumer-Directed Solutions Suite is a combination of applications and services designed to help managed care organizations and other payers address the growing trend toward consumerism in healthcare. Key components include: the...

Online financial management.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... BizCast version 5.4 offers new tools and a suite of plug-and-play adapters to reduce the cost, time and risk of enterprise integration for customer-centric financial applications. Features include: real-time credit card payment, which allows...

Small-group fingerprint scanner.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... The FingerKey DX fingerprint access control reader is a low-cost biometric alternative designed to secure up to 100 users. It includes a keypad and LCD display; memory and Ethernet upgrades and a proximity reader are optional. Two fingers per...

Patient management for practices.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... PrimeCare Patient Management System version 9 (PCare2002) documents the physician's decision-making process and diagnoses, services rendered, tests and procedures performed, and medications prescribed, and then matches them with the appropriate...

PM suite upgrade.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... Version 6.0 of eClinicalWorks adds several features to the practice management solutions suite, which consists of the Front Office, EMR and PM applications. Linux support allows solo physicians and small practices to increase efficiency while...

Integrated platform for HIM.(New Products & Services)
August 1, 2004... Vianeta Harmony Health Information Management Platform is an integrated software platform that automates the administration of patient health information, from dictation, transcription and speech recognition to chart distribution, release of...

Leapfrog launches incentive, reward programs collection.(Quality of Care)
August 1, 2004... The Leapfrog Group has developed a Web-based collection of incentive and reward programs aimed at improving healthcare in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Supported by The Commonwealth Fund and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the...

Consumer demand for online consults increases.(Patient/Physician Communicaton)
August 1, 2004... About 85 percent of U.S. physicians communicate with colleagues, drug companies, hospitals and health plans via e-mail, according to a recent study by Manhattan Research. Yet far fewer doctors correspond with patients electronically,...

Database helps with CIS selection.(Clinical Information Systems)(Computerized Physician Order Entry )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) will launch a National Clinical Information Systems Benefits Database to assist healthcare providers and organizations in selecting clinical information systems (CIS). The agency...

Federal grant boosts EHR project.(American Academy of Family Physicians)(Electronic Health Record)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... AAFP has received a $100,000 federal grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help support the AAFP electronic health record (EHR) project. The grant will allow six to 12 family medicine practices to plan, implement and...

Remote access saves docs time.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Denver based Exempla Healthcare physicians have cut 30 hours from their monthly workload with a remote access, clinical portal. Developed by BroadVision, the portal provides access to laboratory results, rounds information and other...

Baby boomers to boost home care.(Outpatient Care)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Forrester Research predicts technology in, on and around the body that "frees care from formal institutions" will grab a $34 million market share by 2015. "Technology and consumer interests will collide in the home with billions on the line for...

CPU Medical Management Systems.(NewsMakers' contract with Medical Business Service Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Medical Business Service Inc. (MBS) has selected CPU Medical Management Systems Inc.'s MED/FM, a medical financial management product. MBS is a billing and reimbursement management company located in Coral Gables, Fla.

Lawson Software.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Software developer Lawson Software recently announced the availability of Lawson Surgical Instrument Management and Lawson Par and Cycle Counting. The solutions allow for tracking and managing medical supplies using Web-based, wireless and...

InteGreat Inc.(NewsMakers)(Carle Clinic Association purchases InteGreat IC-Chart electronic medical record )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Carle Clinic Association, Urbana, Ill., has purchased the InteGreat IC-Chart electronic medical record from InteGreat Inc. Carle Clinic is a physician-owned, multispecialty group practice of more than 300 physicians.

Healthcare Insights LLC.(NewsMakers)(Rush North Shore Medical Center contract )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Rush North Shore Medical Center has selected Healthcare Insights (HCI) to automate its financial systems. HCI will provide its integrated decision support and management accountability tool. Rush North Shore Medical Center is a 268-bed facility...

SoftMed Systems Inc.(NewsMakers; Banner Health System contract)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Phoenix-based Banner Health has chosen SoftMed Systems Inc. to provide solutions for quality management, case management and risk management in 19 acute care facilities spanning eight western states.

Opus Core.(NewsMakers)(Chester River Hospital selects Opus Core's pharmacy management system)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Chester River Hospital, Chestertown, Md., a short-term acute care hospital affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine, has selected Opus Core's pharmacy management system for its electronic prescription tracking, labeling and adjudication.

Kryptiq Corp.(NewsMakers)(Capital Region Health Care)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Capital Region Health Care (CRHC) in Concord, N.H., has deployed clinical messaging applications from Kryptiq Corp. to enable transfer of information among CRHC's seven EMR servers and outside caregivers.

HealthTrio.(NewsMakers)(Wenatchee Valley Medical Center)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Wenatchee Valley Medical Center, a large multispecialty clinic in Wenatchee, Wash., with six satellite clinics serving central Washington, has selected HealthTrio xpress as its core administrative system.

Computer Associates International Inc.(NewsMakers; endorses solutions from Computer Associates International Inc.'s eTrust and BrightStor suites )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The American Hospital Association has endorsed solutions from Computer Associates International Inc.'s eTrust and BrightStor suites as a resource for security and storage management to help hospitals comply with HIPAA security regulations.

Apelon Inc.(NewsMakers)(Enterprise Vocabulary System selected by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has selected Apelon Inc.'s Distributed Terminology System for its Enterprise Vocabulary System (EVS) project. Leveraging previous work done in the Apelon Technology Development Environment,...

McKesson Information Solutions.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Northwest Community Hospital (NCH) has selected Horizon Clinicals from McKesson Information Solutions. NCH will upgrade its clinical infrastructure and automate key processes at several facilities in its suburban Chicago service area, including...

FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Exempla Healthcare, a Denver-based integrated delivery network, has contracted with FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA for Synapse PACS and Fuji Computerized Radiography.

Healthcare Management Systems Inc.(NewsMakers)(Franklin Hospital, Benton)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Franklin Hospital, Benton, Ill., has selected Healthcare Management Systems to supply its information systems and hardware technology needs. The contract will supply the hospital with a fully integrated information system.

SAS Institute Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Yale New Haven Health System has selected SAS Institute Inc.'s Strategic Performance Management for Healthcare to serve as one component of its performance management system. Yale New Haven Health was created from three delivery networks in...

Cerner Corp.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... VHA Inc., an Irving, Texas-based cooperative of nonprofit healthcare organizations, has signed an agreement naming Cerner Corp. as a supplier of laboratory, radiology and pharmacy information systems. The three-year purchasing agreement offers...

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry has signed an agreement with Allscripts Healthcare Solutions to provide its TouchWorks EMR for clinicians and residents. SUNY Optometry will integrate TouchWorks with its existing...

TheraDoc.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... UC Davis Health System in Sacramento, Calif., has licensed TheraDoc's expert systems technology and its complete suite of decision-support knowledge modules. Solutions include Antibiotic Assistant, Infection Control Assistant, Public Health...

RelayHealth Corp.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Boston-based CareGroup Healthcare System has licensed the RelayHealth webVisit service to enable patients to securely communicate online about medical issues with CareGroup physicians and office staff.

Superior Consultant Co.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Central Main Healthcare Corp., based in Lewiston, Maine, has signed a five-year, full-scale information technology outsourcing contract with Superior Consultant Co. Also, Agnesian HealthCare, a Wisconsin-based integrated delivery system, signed...

[A.sup.4] Health Systems.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Wilson Family Medicine, a Tallahassee, Fla., physician practice, has selected [A.sup.4] Health Systems' HealthMatics Office, including HealthMatics EMR Electronic Medical Record and HealthMatics Ntier-prise practice management system. The...

Enterprise Performance Systems Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Porter Memorial Health System in Valparaiso, Ind., has purchased Enterprise Performance System Inc.'s (EPSi) full suite of decision support applications, including Enterprise Budget Manager, Product Line Analyst, Enterprise Cost Manager and...

Omnicell Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... University Hospitals of Cleveland has selected Omnicell Inc. to provide its medication-dispensing systems. Onmicell will initially provide medication-dispensing cabinets, controlled substance inventory management systems and the OnmiDispenser...

HealthRamp Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Advanced Data Systems (ADS) and HealthRamp Inc. (HRI) have signed an agreement to promote HealthRamp's CarePoint e-prescribing and e-transmission technology to prospective and existing ADS clients. As part of the agreement, ADS will create a...

BNX Systems.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Contra Costa County Health Services Department will implement BNX Systems' BNX Authenticated Sign-On to manage system access and authentication for more than 2,500 users, including physicians, nurses, technicians and administrative staff. The...

MobiHealth.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... RxHub has signed a strategic agreement with MobiHealth Inc. to provide clients with an electronic prescribing capability and easy access to relevant clinical patient information. At the core of the new mobile solution is MobiHealth's m-Health...

Wanted: new partners.(Thought Leaders)(electronic health record)
August 1, 2004... More and more physicians and caregivers are ready to embrace the electronic health record (EHR). By talking with their colleagues and reading about "real life" ROI, these healthcare professionals realize the tremendous benefits this technology...