Health Management Technology articles from December 2007

Health Management Technology archives from December 2007

Perception versus reality.(From the Editor)
December 1, 2007... On November 5, 2007, CCHIT announced it had certified 40 percent of ambulatory EMRs and 25 percent of inpatient EMRs. Around the same time I visited my doctor to receive treatment for a mild condition and was surprised when he pulled a tattered...

New state HIE report from AHIMA.(Briefly)(health information exchange)(American Health Information Management Association)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... A preliminary report released recently by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) included a list of recommendations to support current state-level HIE infrastructure development. The report, titled, "State Level Health...

FDA considering medical tracking system.(Briefly)(Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act of 2007)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Amendments Act of 2007, which became law last September, the FDA is looking at requiring manufacturers of medical supplies to apply unique device identifiers (UDI), such as RFID technology, to...

NCQA proposes new payment model.(Briefly)(National Committee for Quality Assurance)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The National Committee for Quality Assurance, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare, has presented a new payment model to help employers and insurers identify top physicians and pay them for their increased quality of...

HHS awards trial NHIN contracts.(Healthcare and Government)(Department of Health and Human Services)(Nationwide Health Information Network )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $22.5 million in contracts to nine health information exchanges (HIE) for trial implementations of the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). The HIEs will participate in a...

New security standards for EHRs.(Security and Privacy)(Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel develops new set of specifications standards called the "security and privacy constructs")(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) developed a newly defined set of specifications standards called the "security and privacy constructs." HITSP says the new standards will help to ensure the security of patient...

Statewide healthcare education effort underway.(Personal Health Management)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The Partnership for Healthcare Excellence is empowering consumers in Massachusetts to improve the quality of care they receive and educating them to make proactive healthcare decisions. The new non-profit, broad-based collaborative coalition is...

New CMS program rewards use of EHRs.(EMR/EHR)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(electronic medical record/electronic health record)
December 1, 2007... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is conducting a 5-year demonstration project designed to prove the effectiveness of electronic health records (EHR) and encourage small to medium-sized physician practices to adopt the...

CCHIT certifies inpatient EHRs.(EMR/EHR)
December 1, 2007... Six inpatient electronic health records (EHRs) have been certified by The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT). The six EHRs, which represent 25 percent of the entire inpatient EHR market, had to comply with...

Getting to the point: Rush University Medical Center embarks on a total transformation to 21st century POC.(POC/Mobile Computing)(point of care)(Cover story)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Long before the moment a point of care (POC) system is deployed in a healthcare environment, the entire enterprise has had to reassess and optimize human, technological and physical plant workflows for a successful...

The right mix: centralizing data management improves the transformation of a West Virginia provider.(Data Management: Case History)(Northwood Health Systems)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Technology has made a world of difference in transforming Northwood Health Systems, a behavioral healthcare provider serving the poor and indigent in West Virginia, from a moribund institution on the brink of...

Reducing medical liability risk: live decision support-enabled EMR reduces obstetric medical professional liability with best-practice protocol.(Decision Support: Case History)(Electronic Medical Records )
December 1, 2007... Malpractice can affect healthcare executives so profoundly that merely uttering the word around them can be like running through 14th century Europe shrieking, "The plague is here!" However, regardless of how distasteful the word may be, the...

The winding road to EMR adoption: a Washington physician explains why he made the transition to EMRs at the end of his career.(EHRs/EMRs)
December 1, 2007... As a physician at the end of my professional career, an electronic medical record (EMR) program became a matter of responsibility rather than choice for the future. Having worked in both large and small practices, I understand that we as...

EHR bliss: a small family practice reaps the benefits of a Web-based EHR.(EHRs/EMRs: Case History)(electronic health records)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It has been three years since President Bush introduced his health information technology initiative mandating that all healthcare providers and institutions implement an electronic health record solution (EHR)...

Mobile clinical assistant.(New Products & Services)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Royal Philips Electronics and Intel Corp. united their technological expertise to produce the mobile clinical assistant (MCA) that utilizes an integrated, wireless component to connect to patient information stored in electronic medical...

Disc authoring solution.(New Products & Services)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rimage Corp. introduces the Medical Disc System for patient CD and DICOM diagnostic study output and distribution, producing DICOM 3.0 Part 10 compliant discs. Standard features include an easy to read LCD display,...

RFID-ready printer.(New Products & Services)
December 1, 2007... SATO America Inc., provider of bar code printing, labeling and EPC/RFID solutions adds the field-upgradeable RFID-ready printer, the GL4e, to its e series of network-manageable printers. The GL4e features the Java-based SATOnet Connect function...

ClickON Net Eligibility alerts.(New Products & Services)
December 1, 2007... The SSI Group Inc. added an enhancement to their ClickON Net Eligibility software that notifies users when content between request data from the provider differs with response data from the payer, alerting the end user to ensure the data is...

Enterprise management solution.(New Products & Services)
December 1, 2007... Indicative Software has released Indicative 8.0, a single-product enterprise management solution that features the ability to monitor performance from the perspective of individual service users with a real-user monitoring (RUM) add-on. The RUM...

Healthcare graphics program.(New Products & Services)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SmartDraw Healthcare Edition 2008 from SmartDraw.com is a program that automates the creation of healthcare graphics such as anatomical diagrams, case management timelines, patient education handouts, flowcharts and...

Imaging informatics solution.(New Products & Services)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fusion RIS/ PACS MX 4.0 is an imaging informatics solution from Merge Healthcare that combines the advantages of a RIS and a PACS into a single business and clinical application with a radiologist workspace...

Online radiology services.(New Products & Services)
December 1, 2007... InSite One Inc. is expanding the InDex image archiving and access solution with an updated version, InDex 5 with optimized features for powering digital media archives. The new release contains features that will improve enterprise workflow and...

Practice management system.(New Products & Services)
December 1, 2007... MicroMD PM 6.0 is the latest version of the Windows-based, client/server practice management system from Henry Schein Medical Systems. Version 6.0 includes new features to establish security groups for different sets of users and the ability to...

Inventory management solution.(New Products & Services)
December 1, 2007... OncoIMS is a Web-based, EMR-integrated inventory management system from McKesson Specialty intended to help oncologists manage medication inventory levels, streamline manual inventory processes and maximize practice profitability and...

Emergency preparedness software.(New Products & Services)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The latest release of the LiveProcess emergency preparedness planning platform provides a range of integrated tools to assist in emergency management including Hazard Vulnerability Analyses, Incident Command System...

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.(NewsMakers)(ParadigmHealth)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Partnering with ParadigmHealth, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BCBSSC) is electronically integrating medical care plans and personal health records and sharing them in real time with BlueCross members and their healthcare...

eHealth Global Technologies Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Three healthcare providers in Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Virginia signed contracts with eHealth Global Technologies for its eHealthConnect service. The University of Virginia Health System contracted use of the service for its lung, kidney,...

TeleTracking Technologies.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Montefiore Medical Center enlisted the services of TeleTracking Technologies to automate their patient flow as they prepare for an increased number of patients after several surrounding New York healthcare facilities cease operation. The...

GE Healthcare.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Sprint and GE Healthcare are collaborating to offer in-building wireless voice and data communications services to hospitals throughout North America. Leveraging GE's Carescape Enterprise Access and the Custom Network Solution team from Sprint,...

NewBold Corp.(NewsMakers)(Ochsner Health System partners with NewBold Corp.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Ochsner Health System is partnering with NewBold to expand the PatientWorks electronic forms solution systemwide. The implementation is occurring sequentially at all Ochsner facilities through 2007. The enterprise electronic forms solutions...

MZI HealthCare.(NewsMakers)(contracts with Accountable Health Care Independent Physicians Association)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... EZ-CAP, the benefit administration software of MZI HealthCare, is automating claims processing and benefits administration for Accountable Health Care IPA (AHCIPA). In addition to its flagship product, MZI HealthCare also supplies AHCIPA with...

Vontu.(NewsMakers)(CIGNA Healthcare Group Inc. uses Vontu 7 )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... CIGNA HealthCare is using Vontu 7 to safeguard against the loss and exploitation of confidential customer and employee information. In addition to helping the healthcare services company reduce the risk of data loss, the implementation will...

Optimum Lightpath.(NewsMakers)(ethernet service agreements)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... More than 15 healthcare providers in the New York metropolitan and tri-state areas signed up for Optimum Lightpath's Metro Ethernet service for business broadband service. The high-bandwidth data-delivery system is expected to increase...

Epic Systems Corp., Data Innovations Inc.(NewsMakers)
December 1, 2007... The University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation, Madison, Wis., implemented EpicLab from Epic Systems Corp. and Instrument Manager of Data Innovations Inc. The collaborative solution offers bidirectional interfaces between Epic's laboratory...

Kodak Health Group.(NewsMakers)(hospital contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Eastman Kodak Company's Health Group awarded contracts for Kodak's DirectView digital radiography and computed radiography systems, as well as the Kodak DirectView CR Long Length Imaging System and Capture Link System. Kodak contracts were...

athenahealth Inc.(NewsMakers)(contracts with Ohio Gastroenterology Group Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Ohio Gastroenterology Group Inc. selected the athenaCollector billing and practice management service from athenahealth to streamline administrative and financial operations. The healthcare provider is switching from a legacy-based practice...

TheraDoc Inc.(NewsMakers)(business contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The University of Pennsylvania Health System selected TheraDoc for real-time injury detection and prevention and active infection surveillance. TheraDoc is assisting the UPHS research projects by integrating its Expert System Platform and...

Spring Medical Systems Inc.(NewsMakers)(contracts with Spring Medical Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... HealthWare Systems Canada was named as the exclusive distributor of the SpringCharts Electronic Health Records solutions from Spring Medical Systems Inc. for Canada, Hawaii, and Alaska. Spring Medical's two EHR solutions, SpringCharts EHR and...

Patient safety: is technology enough?(Thought Leaders)
December 1, 2007... Since the 1999 publication of the Institute of Medicine's "To Err is Human: Building A Safer Health System," patient safety has become an industry buzzword and a critical area of focus for healthcare providers. This study shocked the industry...