Health Management Technology articles from September 2007

Health Management Technology archives from September 2007

Is self-service good for healthcare?(From the Editor)
September 1, 2007... Do Americans like self-service? I do. I know others that do. I also know people that miss the man with the star that pumped the gas and checked the oil. I was in the self-checkout line of a major retailer just yesterday listening to the elderly...

Medicaid P4P gains ground.(Healthcare and Government)(pay for performance)(Report)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... A new study by the Commonwealth Fund found that currently there are Medicaid programs in nine states joining in regional pay-for-performance (P4P) and quality improvement efforts. Arizona, Maine, Minnesota, Kansas, New York, New Hampshire,...

Presidential campaign contributors.(Healthcare and Government)(Report)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The healthcare contributions given to the current crop of Democratic and Republican presidential candidates has reached $3.7 million this year, with Senator Clinton and Governor Romney accounting for 45 percent of that total. This is according...

CMS proposes payment changes.(Health Plans and Payers)(United States. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Report)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... A new rule to improve the accuracy of Medicare's payment under the acute care hospital inpatient prospective payment system has been proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The rule includes provisions that ensure Medicare...

New York RHIO awarded grant.(RHIOs and the NHIN)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The Health Information Exchange of New York (HIXNY) was recently awarded $1.7 million in state funding for the creation of a statewide medical database. The goal of HIXNY is to bring disparate systems and databases in the state's medical...

Vermont RHIO makes progress.(RHIOs and the NHIN)(Report)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The Vermont RHIO known as Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL) is making great strides in the first year of its pilot project. Currently the project's Medication History Service is running in two Vermont hospitals with 74 percent of...

Poor computer interfaces lessen health IT benefits.(Health IT)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Paul Tang, the VP and chief medical officer at Palo Alto Medical Foundation says it is bad interfaces that are slowing down the benefits of computerized health records. This was just one of several positions and concerns at the recent...

MRSA more prevalent.(Hospitals and IDNs)(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
September 1, 2007... A nationwide study conducted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) finds that Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is far more prevalent than previous estimates. MRSA, a...

Electronic claim settlement.(Briefly)
September 1, 2007... According to a recently released survey by Payformance Corporation, a provider of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) services, 98 percent of respondents want to transition to electronic claim settlement even...

Proposed NHIN legislation.(Briefly)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Kansas Third District Congressman Dennis Moore recently introduced bipartisan legislation intended to establish the long sought-after and discussed nationwide health information technology network. Known as the Independent Health Record Trust...

Who's responsible?(Briefly)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... A recent P4P study finds that Medicare patients are receiving care from so many different physicians and practices it's difficult to identify which providers are responsible for what care. The nationally representative study found that 33...

Appraising the appraisal system: a multifacility healthcare organization selects a Web-based solution for employee performance appraisals.(Document Management: Case History)(CentraState Healthcare System)
September 1, 2007... For most of the modern-day labor force, employee performance appraisals are a necessary feature of employment. Whether they occupy an entry-level or management position, usually at least once per year, the performance of employees is evaluated...

Something to talk about: a Philadelphia healthcare enterprise lowers costs, eliminates paper and raises efficiency by integrating its Web-based voice technology, PACS and clinical system.(Voice Recognition and Transcription)(Picture Archiving and Communication System)(Main Line Health System)
September 1, 2007... When speech recognition technology first appeared in the toolbox of tech-savvy radiologists, Main Line Health (MLH) Radiology was at the forefront. When its existing digital dictation solution needed upgrading and integration with the PACS...

Scanning the horizon: a health system upgrades its bar coding and patient auto-identification for improving patient care enterprisewide.(Bar Coding)(Atlantic Health uses patient identification cards )
September 1, 2007... To support patient safety, hospitals need a reliable and efficient way to identify patients. That means systemwide bar code format standards, durable wristbands and dependable printers. As one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in New...

Lifting the burden: a document management solution enhances the quality of care for a Kansas medical center.(Document Management: Case History)(Mercy Regional Health Center contrcted with Perceptive Software Inc.)(electronic medical record)
September 1, 2007... The volume of paperwork in the healthcare field can often keep employees from focusing on primary patient care duties, and slow paper processes often delay important decisions. As our patient traffic increased at Mercy Regional Health Center...

Life is good with EHRs: EHR enhances patient care and physicians' quality of life at a 4-location surgical practice.(EMRs/EHRs: Case History)(electronic health records)
September 1, 2007... Minnesota Orthopaedic Specialists (MOS), based in Minneapolis, is a thriving, full-service orthopaedic surgical practice with four locations and 15 doctors. We are experts in diagnosing and successfully treating conditions affecting the...

Reducing rejections, revitalizing revenue: a Web-based RCM system enhances cash flow for a multispecialty group practice.(Claims and Coding)
September 1, 2007... A number of years ago, leadership at Core Physician Services, Exeter, N.H., a community-based multispecialty group practice with 91 providers, came to the realization that delivering exemplary care was not the only factor affecting the...

Home health synchronicity: a Minnesota healthcare enterprise discovers a single solution for home and hospice caregiver communication and reporting.(Home Health Technology)
September 1, 2007... While the practice of providing caregivers with seamless access to health information within a hospital environment can be daunting, providing that same level of communication in the home healthcare environment can be particularly challenging....

There's no place like home: how will hospitals care for the massive influx of patients as boomers age? Home care technology may be the answer.(Home Health Technology)
September 1, 2007... Technologies such as the personal health record (PHR) have the potential to transform how care is delivered in the home. Potential beneficiaries of the surge of interest in PHRs and electronic health records (EHR) include patients with chronic...

Web-based patient empowerment.(Customer Relationship Management)(health care industry must use websites and portal for patient information)
September 1, 2007... Many industries must balance increasing costs with market constraints on maximum prices, including the pass-through costs to consumers. As challenging as this scenario may be, several industry leaders effectively have addressed these issues...

Driving CRM value in healthcare: deploying intuitive CRM options can produce greater ROI and enhanced patient and caregiver experience.(Customer Relationship Management)(return on investment)
September 1, 2007... For those that know customer relationship management (CRM)--but not necessarily healthcare--CRM seems like the perfect solution to many of the healthcare industry's key problems. Need to improve efficiency and manage patient records? Track...

Can supply management technology be the antidote to the healthcare crisis?(Supply Chain and Materials Management)
September 1, 2007... It doesn't take a doctor to diagnose that America is facing a healthcare crisis. Thanks to an aging population and greater longevity, healthcare costs are spiraling out of control. Healthcare spending is expected to top $3 trillion by 2012,...

Performance indicator/management software.(New Products & Services)(Statit Software Inc.)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Statit Software Inc. now offers version 3.0 of its Statit piMD performance indicator and management dashboard software. The updated version features over 30 enhancements including the My Indicators feature, which allows users to choose the most...

Dashboard software.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... iDashboards is offering a new version of their revolutionary business intelligence dashboard software, version 5.0. A Web-based enterprise application, iDashboards helps companies leverage their actionable information assets in real time...

Hosted claims management service.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... The diversified information technology company, SSI Group Inc., has released a new service model, ClickON Hosted Claims Management Service. ClickON Hosted Claims Management Service leverages SSI's EHNAC-certified Clearinghouse/Data Center to...

Biometric/multi-credential scanner.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... An integrated MIFARE smart card reader is now an option available for the FingerKey DX product line from Schlage Recognition Systems/Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. The MIFARE standard 1K and 4K programmable contact less smart card is the...

Mobile computing solution.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... The PSynergy 1700 is a compact and flexible mobile computing solution from Pelham Sloane. It weighs 15.7 lbs and features a choice of either a 17-inch 5:4 LCD monitor for up to 1280 x 1024 resolution or a 17-inch widescreen 16:9 LCD monitor...

3D capable PACS.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... Emageon Inc. and Dell have aligned to develop a high-quality PACS featuring 3D capabilities and advanced visualization. The Emageon/Dell PACS solution provides specialists and referring physicians the ability to install and begin using the PACS...

Patient self-service check-in.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... The CVM Lite, a streamlined version of the patient self-service check-in solution from Galvanon, is designed exclusively for physician practices. CVM Lite features prebuilt templates for managing patient information, appointments and other...

Aztec Code symbology.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... Zebra Technologies has added the Aztec Code barcode symbology to its desktop printer line. The application of the symbology includes patient wristbands and labels for unit-of-use medications, IV mixtures, blood products and specimens. Aztec...

Wide-format Scanners.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... The new Infinity WF is available in three models and scans documents in bitonal, grayscale and color at 600 dpi, at rated speeds of 3.2 to 4.2 inches per second (ips), (color), and up to 12.6 ips (bitonal). Infinity WF models feature...

New colored models.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... Four new additions to Panasonic's C3 multifunction peripheral (MFP) line may have office managers and staff seeing red... or, if buyer's prefer, blue, yellow, black, or for a limited time only, rose quartz. The colored models are only...

High-speed imaging.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... The imageRUNNER models from Canon U.S.A. Inc. are multifunction solutions with output speeds of up to 75 ppm. These models can come equipped with a Universal Send option which is integrated with the standard Single Pass Duplex Scanner/Feeder...

Spanish language module.(New Products & Services)
September 1, 2007... Dialog Medical's iMedConsent application, used by more than 15,000 hospitals and physician practices for informed consent and patient education systems nationwide, has added a Spanish language module. The iMedConsent Spanish language module...

dbMotion.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Emerging Health Information Technology, a company that provides IT services and consulting for the healthcare industry, has contracted dbMotion to create an integrated core technology solution for the Bronx Regional Health Information...

Children's Hospital of Omaha.(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Children's Hospital of Omaha experienced improved patient care and cost outcomes since deploying the Sunrise Pharmacy system four months ago. Sunrise Pharmacy is an integrated pharmacy information solution from Eclipsys Corp. that automates...

HTP Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... HealthLink RHIO, of Dayton, Ohio, selected HTP's MedRunner solution for electronic exchange of information support of administrative data. The MedRunner solution supplies a single secure connection point to exchange clinical and administrative...

Dialog medical.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine has selected Dialog Medical's iMedConsent application. The University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, as well as other Miami...

Eclipsys Corp.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... SUNY Downstate Medical Center's University Hospital of Brooklyn will implement Sunrise Clinical Manager from Eclipsys, as well as its fully integrated modules, as part of an initiative to improve the delivery of care by means of a clinical...

Caduceus.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Caduceus Systems signed an agreement with Northland Healthcare Alliance to implement Caduceus Materials Management Information System throughout Northland's 25 healthcare facilities across North and South Dakota. The contract provides Northland...

AHRQ.(NewsMakers)(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Ad Council took part in an advertising campaign for TV, radio, print and Web media that directs audiences to obtain tips on how to help prevent medical errors and become a proactive partner...

athenahealth Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... The Web-based athenaNet practice management system now includes new coding rules and physician quality measures for its entire national client base, reflecting the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006. The Physician Quality Reporting...

Securent Inc.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... Securent Inc., provider of application entitlement management solutions, has become a sponsor member of the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS). A not-for-profit international consortium, OASIS drives...

Merge Healthcare.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2007... PET/CT Workstation software from Merge Healthcare is now on the market. Designed for maximum functionality for standard methods used by radiologists to read PET and CT images, the dual-modality software product allows simultaneous review of CT,...

Creating transparency, one step at a time.(Thought Leaders)
September 1, 2007... Greater transparency across all stakeholders is necessary to transform our healthcare system. Providers need transparency around the rules by which they are paid so they can understand what influences their reimbursements. Payers need...