Health Management Technology articles from July 2007

Health Management Technology archives from July 2007

No free lunch.(health care industry must use information technology in it's daily business )(Editorial)
July 1, 2007... As predicted, healthcare technology and universal coverage are top issues in the presidential debates. In addition, Congress is scrambling to push through health spending bills designed to incentivize providers toward nationwide adoption of...

Star Trek Technology in Canadian Healthcare.(Hospitals and IDNS)(Vocera Communications Inc. with International Business Machines Corp. develops sci-fi television series)
July 1, 2007... Wearable communication badges are bringing caregiver communication in Canada one step closer to the technology that many grew up watching on the popular sci-fi television series "Star Trek." The devices, which allow hands-free real-time voice...

HIT Advocacy Award.(Awards and Recognition)(Michigan. Department of State received award for health information technology by Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The HIMSS 2007 Advocacy Award was presented to the state of Michigan for health information technology (HIT) advancements over the last two years during difficult economic times. The Conduit of Care Report, which outlines a state HIT roadmap...

Disease registry and reporting.(Regional Health Information Networks)(Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grants fund to start automated disease reporting system)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A diabetes disease registry and an automated disease reporting system are significantly increasing diabetes candidate identification for a Santa Cruz RHIO, as well as lowering response times to public health issues via a greater Cincinnati area...

Kentucky Health Communication System.(Interoperoble Public Health)(Kentucky Public Health Interoperable Communication System is going to be implemented very soon)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The state of Kentucky will soon have the Kentucky Public Health Interoperable Communication System (KPHICS) to link together local, state, federal and volunteer health departments with a common operational system. Components of the KPHICS...

Standards documents review.(Health Technology Standards)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A 4-week comment period was opened on June 14, 2007, for two Requirements, Design and Standards Selection (RDSS) documents by the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP). The documents will form the panel's second set of...

Care-quality report database.(Health Plans and Providers)(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is launching a website for Healthcare Report Card Compendium)(Website overview)
July 1, 2007... A searchable directory listing more than 200 sources of comparative information rating the quality of care providers have been delivering has been released on a new Web site from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The...

IRS clears EHR software donations.(Briefly)(Internal Revenue Service)(Electronic Health Records )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Non-profit hospitals now can share their e-health record software and support with physicians without losing their tax-exempt status. The news, which came via IRS memo, cited the original HHS regulations creating exemptions for the hospitals...

Increasing health legislation.(Briefly)(Democratic Representatives Dennis Moore and Sam Brownback will introduce health information technology bill)
July 1, 2007... Proposed health legislation heats up on Capital Hill as several bipartisan congressional groups prepare to introduce new health information technology bills. Kansas Democratic Representative Dennis Moore and Republican Senator Sam Brownback...

BCBSA transfers Rx program.(Briefly)(Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association selects Medco Health Solutions Inc. for looking after it's mail service and specialty prescription drug program)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The government-wide Service Benefit Plan from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, also known as the Federal Employee Program (FEP), has contracted administration of its mail service and specialty prescription drug program to Medco...

Building an endpoint security arsenal: A multi-layered approach to network security is required to reduce the risk imposed by the proliferation of removable storage devices.(Network Security)(Cover story)(Company overview)
July 1, 2007... Like any CIO, security is always top-of-mind for me, especially when it comes to protecting sensitive patient information and complying with HIPAA regulations. In recent years, we've seen the influx of inexpensive storage media from MP3 players...

Do you hear what I hear? A large southern healthcare enterprise makes the leap to a modern wireless phone system.(Wireless: Case History)(Sentara Healthcare uses wireless telephony for better connection with employees )
July 1, 2007... The situation is one in which many of today's organizations find themselves--purchase and install the current technology or wait until the new standards-based systems are ready. It's an all too familiar scenario, which Sentara Healthcare faced...

Automating enrollment. An online portal guides consumers through the purchasing process, linking sales with operations, resulting in lowered costs and increased revenue.(Health Plans and Technology)(Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina launches a new project of online shopping)
July 1, 2007... Today's transforming healthcare market is dramatically altering the types of products health plans sell and the way they are sold. According to a March 2006 Forrester report, the individual and family insurance market is growing due to the...

Overcoming disaster: Thibodaux Regional Medical Center takes action in the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina.(EDIS)
July 1, 2007... Like all medical facilities across the country, healthcare emergencies bombard Thibodaux Regional Medical Center every hour of every day. On the day Hurricane Katrina made landfall, the dedication of Thibodaux's doctors and nurses was truly...

EDIS Overhaul: Implementation of an EDIS in a pediatric emergency department translates to more efficient and timely care.(EDIS)(emergency department information system would be implemented by St. Louis Children's Hospital)
July 1, 2007... With nearly 60,000 visits per year, treatments at the tertiary pediatric emergency department (ED) at St. Louis Children's Hospital involve the ordering, prescribing and administration of medications as a routine part of caring for our...

Charting a Course for Accuracy in the ED; A multi-hospital network rolls out electronic nurse charting.(EDIS)(emergency department information system)
July 1, 2007... lllegible clinical documentation, inconsistent charge capture and long patient wait times that can lead to a decrease in the quality of care and in some cases, millions of dollars in lost revenues, are a few of the problems emergency...

Strategies for success: RHIOs that are designed to improve patient care and satisfaction can also increase market share.(RHIOs and the NHIN)(regional health information organizations)
July 1, 2007... Without a doubt, momentum for the development of regional health information organizations (RHIOs) is building at an ever-increasing rate. As health information technologies--electronic medical record systems in particular--have matured, all...

Outsourcing business processes; A Los Angeles-based IPA achieves greater physician benefits and an improved bottom line by employing advanced MSO services.(Credentialing)(Independent Physicians Association of los angeles chooses SynerMed Communications for it's management services)
July 1, 2007... Angeles Independent Physicians Association (IPA) is one of the fastest growing IPAs in the Los Angeles area, serving several communities in Southern California, from Long Beach to Los Angeles. Founded in 1995 with 26 shareholders, Angeles IPA...

A Victory for ICU safety: the implementation of a critical care software system improves information management in the ICU of a VA healthcare network.(Patient Safety)(United States. Department of Veterans Affairs uses technology in intensive care units)
July 1, 2007... The sharing of patient data such as hospital admissions information, laboratory results, progress notes, and imaging and authentication (access/ verify) data throughout any healthcare facility is essential for maintaining the accuracy and...

Medical/pharmaceutical spelling software.(New Products & Services)(Spellex Corp. )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A new version of the medical and pharmaceutical spelling software from the Spellex Corp. is available. Spellex Medical 2007 adds hundreds of thousands of medical-related words from over 70 medical specialties. Accurate spelling of surgical...

Document management patent.(New Products & Services)( MediTract Inc.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The U.S. Patent Office awarded Patent No. 7,194,677 to MediTract Inc. for TractManager, a proprietary process for converting and managing all types of electronic documents. TractManager's document management system should provide users with...

Point-of-Care computing and medication delivery.(Ergotron Americas)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Improving upon the original StyleView Carts, Ergotron's newest point-of-care carts offer greater viewing comfort and enhanced productivity through a wide range of height adjustment. The keyboard tray provides up to 12 degrees of negative lift...

Next generation tablet PC.(New Products & Services)(Motion Computing LE1700)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The Motion Computing LE1700 is the company's latest flagship model of slate tablet PC, integrating new technology like WriteTouch display option for dual-mode writing and touch-screen input. Motion Computing, Inc. Austin, Texas ...

Initiate Systems Inc.(NewsMakers)(to provide patient information system to CareSpark )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... CareSpark will leverage Initiate Identity Hub software from Initiate Systems Inc. for the management of patient information for their participating caregivers and patients throughout 17 counties across Virginia and Tennessee. CareSpark is a...

First Consulting Group.(NewsMakers)(has been selected to provide electronic health record (EHR) system)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... First Consulting Group (FCG) has been selected for the development and implementation of an interoperable electronic health record (EHR) system for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Employing its FirstGateways software solution as part...

eHealth Global Technologies.(NewsMakers)(to provide online health service to Pennsylvania State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... eHealth Global Technologies, a Medical record service provider, received a contract from Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to provide the medical center's organ transplant program with its eHealthConnect service. Medical records and...

Interactive Care Network.(NewsMakers)(collaborates with Skylight Healthcare Systems )(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Interactive Care Network (ICN) has begun a collaboration to enhance and augment Skylight Healthcare Systems' ACCESS Interactive Patient System, which transforms hospital room televisions into interactive information, communication and education...

MEDHOST.(NewsMakers)(provides physician documentation software to Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... MEDHOST announced that Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital, located in Texas, added Physician Documentation and Order Entry software modules, rounding out the full suite of the company's emergency department information system software...

Omnicell.(NewsMakers)(partners to provide software to Coastal Carolinas Health Alliance)
July 1, 2007... The Coastal Carolinas Health Alliance and Omnicell Inc. have partnered for the delivery of the healthcare software solutions provider's OmniRx Pharmacy Cabinets. The 11-hospital nonprofit cooperative conducted an extensive review of Omnicell's...

Buck Consultants.(NewsMakers)
July 1, 2007... Human resource and benefits consulting firm Buck Consultants, an independent subsidiary of Affiliated Computer Services Inc., released findings of a recent survey from 255 organizations representing a veritable microcosm of american commerce....

TheraDoc.(NewsMakers)(provides software to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and University of Utah Hospital)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... TheraDoc, a clinical informatics company, provided software to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and University of Utah Hospital to transmit real-time Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) reports to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

CMS.(NewsMakers)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is seeking 10 states to conduct health opportunity account demonstrations to determine whether they, in combination with high-deductible insurance plans, are an efficient way to provide healthcare...

Picis.(NewsMakers)(New Jersey hospitals installs Picis ED pulsecheck implementation)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Three New Jersey hospitals completed the second phase of the Picis ED PulseCheck Implementation. Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly, Berlin Hospital and Camden Hospital, all part of the Virtua Health System, went live with nursing documentation,...

InnerWireless Inc.(NewsMakers)(HealthAlliance Hospital)(Foote Hospital)(Platte Valley Medical Center)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Three healthcare systems will deploy Horizon, a Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) for patient monitoring from in-building wireless systems provider InnerWireless Inc. HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster, Massachusetts, Foote Hospital...

Unibased Systems Architecture.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... WellSpan Health of York, Pennsylvania has contracted for the Resource Management System (RMS) from Unibased Systems Architecture Inc. WellSpan Health will pair the RMS solution with MediKiosk from Galvanon Inc. to automate their patient...

Healthvision.(NewsMakers)(a healthcare information technology solutions provider)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Healthvision, a healthcare information technology (HIT) solutions provider and Misys will join Healthvision's e-Health Interoperability Exchange Partnership Program with the addition of their EMR product. Misys is the sixth application provider...

The human touch.(Thought Leaders)(adaption of new medical technology for patient care and treatment)
July 1, 2007... With everyone firmly entrenched in the digital age, it is an afterthought for our society to use computers to speed communications, manage repetitive tasks, and make short work of complex calculations. While the benefits of information...