Health Management Technology articles from January 2006

Health Management Technology archives from January 2006

Power to the people.(security and protection of patient privacy)
January 1, 2006... What do RHIOs have in common with the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere movie, "Pretty Woman?" You are right if you identified the early segment in which Vivian explained to Kit the career benefits of their independence when she said, "We say who. We...

Four teams win contracts worth $18.6 million.(National Health Information Network)
January 1, 2006... The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded contracts to four teams of technology developers and healthcare providers to build prototypes for a national health information network. The prototypes must be suited to real-world...

P4P programs rewarding but challenging.(Pay-for-Performance)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Programs across the country are proving what behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner demonstrated in the 1930s and 1940s: Rewards shape behavior. The combined results of seven programs over three years demonstrate that pay for performance (P4P)...

Senate passes health IT Act.(Legislative Watch)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Looks like hospitals and physicians in financial need may be jockeying for federal grants to help buy or improve certified health IT systems under legislation passed mid-November. In a unanimous vote, the Senate passed the Wired for Health Care...

NW pilot pays docs for online consults.(north west)(doctors)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Virginia Mason Medical Center and Premera Blue Cross in Washington state are collaborating on a pilot program to offer Web-enabled doctor visits. The pilot reimburses physicians for online medical consultants with Microsoft Corp. employees and...

Blues plan helps docs buy IT.(Health Plans and Payers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Highmark Inc., a Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan serving western and central Pennsylvania, is offering to help pay for physicians to adopt clinical information systems. The Pittsburgh-based insurer contributed $26.5 million to The Pittsburgh...

Senior execs concerned about reqs.(Clinical Reporting Standards)
January 1, 2006... A survey of more than 50 healthcare executives and clinicians across the country shows that they believe common clinical reporting standards will improve patient care. Most expressed concerns, however, about inconsistent reporting direction,...

Blues and Visa enter debit card deal.(Briefly)
January 1, 2006... The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) and Visa USA announced an agreement in late November to offer BCB SA members co-branded debit cards to pay for healthcare expenses. The Blue-branded Visa card will give consumers easy access to...

Former HHS secretary joins Picis Board.(Briefly)
January 1, 2006... Tommy Thompson, who retired as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in December 2004, joined the board of directors of Picis in November. The Wakefield, Mass .-based company delivers solutions for high-acuity care: emergency...

More support for decision support.(Briefly)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... A recent survey by Epocrates' Honors market research panel reveals encouraging stats on the use of decision support software. In a random sampling of 3,400 Epocrates physicians, more than 95 percent reported that clinical PDA software helps...

On track: the need to identify and track healthcare entities within the healthcare delivery process--whether they be equipment, medications, devices, patients or staff--has never been greater. Information technology is at the ready to serve. Here is a look at how three healthcare organizations address their own challenges of identification and tracking.
January 1, 2006... Keeping track of expensive equipment, key staff members, administered medications and patients themselves can save hospitals time and money while boosting day-today efficiencies. How often does a piece of equipment that normally resides in...

Progress on a work in progress: CHRISTUS Health tackles workflow management and transcription challenges in a massive initiative designed for enterprise consistency.(Editorial)
January 1, 2006... The two keys to successful strategic planning are--here's a no-brainer--strategy and planning. But it's easier said than done, especially for a jumbo healthcare delivery system that includes more than 40 hospitals, inpatient and long-term care...

Mobilizing materials management: midwest hospital employs mobile supply chain management to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency.(Wireless: Case History)
January 1, 2006... Materials management IT budgets often lag behind other departments as hospitals focus dollars on new clinical technologies. This intensifies the challenges materials managers face and overlooks a key area from which to drive business process...

Out with the old, in with the new: upstate New York's largest cardiology practice finds flexibility is the key in finding the right EMR.(electronic medical record)
January 1, 2006... Every physician practice that installs an electronic medical record (EMR) faces the challenge of physician adoption, a challenge that is best addressed before the rollout begins. One way to support adoption is to offer physicians a real-life...

Shred City: a Knoxville specialty practice eliminates paper records and carves its own digital path to the EMR functionality.(EMRs and Document Management: Case History)
January 1, 2006... For half a decade, suppliers of document management systems have categorized themselves as providers of electronic medical records (EMRs), explaining that use of their applications was a critical and incremental first step in a physician...

The place to be for healthcare IT Shopping: there's no denying--the HIMSS 2006 exhibit is the place to be in February to see the latest in healthcare IT.(information technology)(Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society)
January 1, 2006... It's see-and-be-seen time at HIMSS--the Magilla of healthcare IT trade shows and conventions. This year, the annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference and Exhibition in February expects to draw almost 800...

Predictive analytics and the new world of Retail Healthcare.
January 1, 2006... Major transformations are under way in health insurance. Employers, hard pressed to keep up with increasing costs, are moving toward consumer directed and defined contribution benefit designs. As a result, consumers--never the silent recipients...

Making the first call count: Utah health sciences center uses knowledge management software to improve customer service as demand increases.(Help Desk: Case History)
January 1, 2006... Physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals expect from their computer systems what patients expect from them: absolute accuracy, full availability and fast response. Without fast IT support for hospital operations, hospital costs can...

One-stop EMR solution.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... OmniMD has released version 6.0 of its integrated EMR solution. The new modules and services are based on user input and are designed to streamline the flow of clinical information. The Automated Patient Reminder module uses interactive voice...

Bioterrorism preparedness.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... VisualDX, from Logical Images, was designed to help hospitals and clinics quickly and accurately diagnose eruptions, lesions, STDs, and other infectious diseases that can be visually identified. It also contains detailed information on Anthrax,...

Backup, archive and recovery.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... The OptiVault archival appliance is designed to enable automated backup of critical data from Microsoft-based servers to DVD. The optical-based device has a 117 GB (234 GB compressed) capacity and operates in the background, using EMC Dantz...

Enhanced radiology information system.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... Misys has released Radiology 4.3, an enhanced version of their radiology information system solution designed to work equally well in different RIS workflows, such as hospital and ambulatory environments. The upgrade aims to increase the speed...

Reducing Medicare claims rejections.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... The Navicure LMRP (local medical review policy) edit suite enables physician practices to examine Medicare insurance claims for errors prior to submission. It is designed to help users identify why rejections occur, so practices can...

Mobile computing platform.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... Centricity Physician Office Mobile from GE Healthcare extends the Centricity Physician Office to PDAs and Smartphones. It utilizes PatientKeeper, a mobile computing solution that allows physicians to access and manage patient information and...

RFID/bar code scanning.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... Socket Communications Inc. now offers a dual-function RFID reader-scan card that scans both RFID tags and bar codes for greater flexibility. The 1.6 oz. device fits into the Type II compact flash slot of a pocket PC, such as the Dell Axim. It...

Wall-mounted workstation.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... The Wallaroo 2000 XW is a wall-mounted workstation designed to assist patient EMR charting at the point-of-care, inside or outside of patient rooms. It is engineered to accommodate small computers, such as the Dell SX280 (shown) with up to a...

Wireless mobile workstation.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... Flo 750 from Flo Healthcare is a wireless mobile workstation designed to keep clinicians connected at the point of-care to clinical applications and patient data. It works with all standard wireless networks and is UL-60601-01 certified to...

Computed radiography solution.(DirectriX needle-based detector )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... DX-S, Agra's new computed radiography (CR) solution, includes two unique technologies: DirectriX needle-based detector and Scanhead line-to-line CR stimulation and light collection. The former enables DX-S to capture sharper images by...

Medical practice management system.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... MDAOrbit is a clinical software system from MDanywhere Technologies Inc., designed to allow patients access to their records and doctors, and to assist physicians at the point-of-care. Its fully integrated modules and services include a patient...

Computer assisted radiology reporting.(New Products & Services)
January 1, 2006... RadWhere Suite from Commissure, a maker of medical and documentation solutions, includes real-time components and services for radiologists designed to improve communications and reduce the time it takes to generate reports. The suite contains...

SmartPACS.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Springfield Hospital in Springfield, Vt., selected Irvington, N.J.-based SmartPACS for its conversion to filmless imaging. A subsidiary of Springfield Medical Care Services, Springfield Hospital is a nonprofit rural hospital serving 16 areas in...

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Pinehurst Surgical, the largest surgical group in the southern region of North Carolina, will eliminate all paper patient charts by selecting Allscripts' TouchWorks EHR. The 28-physician group integrates TouchWorks with its existing Groupcast...

Evolved Digital Solutions.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Cleveland Regional Medical Center in Cleveland, Texas, signed a five-year contract renewal for medical imaging management solutions from Evolved Digital Solutions. The 107-bed facility signed its first contract with the Brentwood, Tenn.-based...

Sentillion Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... New York University Medical Center (NYU Medical Center) selected Andover, Mass.-based Sentillion's identity and access management solution, Vergence, to provide stronger security, patient privacy and caregiver access via its CPOE initiative....

AccessPt. Inc.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Exempla Healthcare, a three-hospital system based in Denver, signed with Ridgeland, Miss.-based AccessPt. Inc., to implement a clinical portal. Authorized users will now have instant, secure single sign-on and search access to all patient care...

ActiveHealth Management.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Companion Healthcare, a wholly owned subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, selected New York city-based ActiveHealth Management's CareEngine system to deliver physician and member messaging to 192,000 plan participants. The...

RealMed Corp.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... The University of Chicago Physicians Group selected Indianapolis, Ind.-based RealMed, provider of Web-based revenue cycle management solutions, to verify real-time batch patient eligibility, process electronic claims transactions and manage...

InnerWireless.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago installed Richardson, Texas-based InnerWireless' broadband distribution system. The system supports a full range of wireless applications and services, including wireless LANs, personal communications...

Philips Medical Systems.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Northcentral Technical College (NTC) is teaming with Philips Medical Systems to offer customized training courses for students, technologists and regional healthcare facilities that will expand NTC's current health program. Education and...

MedSeek.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Seventeen large, multihospital systems and small medical centers--from Texas to Ohio to Arkansas and Canada--chose Solvang, Calif.-based MedSeek's online healthcare communication solutions, bringing the company's total hospital clients to more...

Lawson Software.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Miami Children's Hospital (MCH) selected St. Paul, Minn.-based Lawson Software's human resources, supply chain management and financials suites to improve efficiency and gain real-time access to financial information. MCH is the largest...

DrFirst Inc.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Henry Ford Health Care System in Michigan chose Rockville, Md.-based DrFirst's Rcopia electronic prescription management solution for physicians in its hospitals, clinics and physician offices. The solution was planned to be rolled out to a...

Enterprise Performance Systems Inc. (EPSi).(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Enloe Medical Center in Chico, Calif. selected Menomonee, Wis.-based EPSi's Enterprise Budget Manager for budgeting and financial reporting. The 391-bed medical center serves more than 400,000 residents in a six-county region in Northern...

RGII Technologies Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... The Department of Defense's (DoD's) Tri-Service Infrastructure Management Program Office (TIMPO) awarded a four-year contract to RGII Technologies Inc. The Annapolis, Md.-based company will provide consultative and engineering services to...

Carefx Corp.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Children's Medical Center in Dallas, implemented the Carefx Fusionfx Context Manager and the Unityfx SCC Viewer by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Carefx Corp. The solution allows clinicians at Children's to visually integrate data between Cerner...

ARINC Healthcare Solutions.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... ARINC Inc. brings its experience in transportation communications and systems engineering into the healthcare IT field with a new business unit--ARINC Healthcare Solutions. The Annapolis, Md. company delivers wired and wireless network...

Krames-StayWell.(NewsMakers)(Health Trust Purchasing Group)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Health Trust Purchasing Group (HPG), in Brentwood, Tenn., which represents more than 1,500 organizations, gave San Bruno, Calif.-based Krames-StayWell, a division of MediMedia, USA, preferred vendor status. The agreement includes the Krames...

[A.sup.4] Health Systems.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... ValleyCare Health System selected Cary, N.C.-based [A.sup.4] Health Systems' HealthMatics ED Emergency Department Information System for its emergency department in Pleasanton, Calif. and its urgent care facility in Livermore, Calif. The...

InteGreat Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Iowa-based Medical Associates of Clinton selected Scottsdale, Ariz.-based InteGreat's IC-Chart as its EMR. According to the seven-year agreement, physicians in the 40-member multispecialty group will use IC-Chart in four clinics to document...

Misys Healthcare Systems.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2006... Women's Health Partnership selected Raleigh, N.C.-based Misys Healthcare Systems' EMR for its 12 locations throughout central and southern Indiana. Women's Health Partnership is an alliance of health professionals specializing in obstetrical...

Identity and access management: the starting point for a RHIO.(Regional health information organizations)
January 1, 2006... Regional health information organizations (RHIOs) offer the promise of access to a person's health information whenever and wherever the information is needed. However, public opinion will require that a RHIO maintain a chain of trust with the...