Researchers Target Devices, EHRs

“HIMSS Analytics and the American College of Clinical Engineering, Plymouth Meeting, Pa., will survey hospitals to evaluate the patient safety and quality of care benefits of medical devices that share data with electronic health records.”
Article
Health Data Management, 9 October 2008

Mercy unveils Epic Medical Records System - Kansas

“One more hospital making the transition.  Also the rural and surrounding areas will be connected to the same system to enter chart information from their locations as well.  The new system from Epic replaces older technology at Mercy called Meditech that only allowed for a partial electronic record, real time chart updates.   Epic is the system also in use at Kaiser Permanente.”
Article
The Medical Quack, 7 October 2008

Health Records Going High-Tech Hospitals Find Electronic System More Efficient but Also Expensive

“With a few keystrokes, Andrew Catanzaro, an internist with Aurora Advanced Healthcare, can call up a patient’s medical problems, test results, prescriptions and medical history.
He will know if a woman has a family history of ovarian cancer or if a man’s father died of abdominal aortic aneurysm — information that once may have been buried or even missing from a paper chart.
He will get reminders if the patient is due for a test and warnings if a new prescription may interact with another drug.”
Article
Guy Boulton, RedOrbit, 5 October 2008

Recommendations for Hospitals Regarding a PHR Relationship

“I have published a number of previous notes about personal health records (PHRs) including a recent one about Health Vault with a reference to Google Health (see: Some Clues About the Microsoft Healthcare IT Strategy). I have come to the conclusion that there is very little future for the so-called untethered PHRs, which is to say web-based stand-alone PHRs. The only ones that will thrive are those with links to hospital EMRs such that some of the medical information contained in the hospital electronic records can be replicated to the tethered PHRs. It is impractical to suggest families will assume the onerous task of hand-entering even a small portion of their health records to a web-based system.”
Article
Bruce Friedman, Lab Soft News, 3 October 2008

Agfa’s ORBIS to be installed in 37 French hospitals

“Agfa HealthCare,has won a contract to install its ORBIS electronic patient record software at hospitals belongng to the Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) group.
The €95m project will see the Orbis solution installed at all 37 hospitals within the AP-HP hospital group.”
Article
Jon Hoeksma, e-Health Europe, 3 October 2008

New world of medical treatment

“Student nurse Chris Chapman got ready to give her next patient his medications Wednesday morning at Parkview Hospital. She logged onto a laptop computer on a rolling cart and checked Jeff Enyeart’s chart for the drugs and dosages he needed.
From the pocket in her scrubs, she pulled out a Palm Pilot and brought up information on the medications in a drug reference guide, one of five nursing textbooks on her PDA.”
Article
Jennifer L. Boen, The News-Sentinel, 18 September 2008

Hospitals guarded about helping physicians buy EMR systems

“Though a relaxation of the so-called Stark law was expected to spur hospitals to help physicians buy electronic medical records, a new study finds hospitals are moving slowly and cautiously on that score.”
Article
Bernie Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 19 September 2008

Despite Regulatory Changes, Hospitals Cautious in Helping Physicians Purchase Electronic Medical Records

“While hospitals are evaluating strategies to help physicians purchase electronic medical records (EMRs) following recent federal regulatory changes, they are proceeding cautiously, according to findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change’s (HSC) 2007 site visits to 12 nationally representative metropolitan communities. Hospital strategies to aid physician EMR adoption include offering direct financial subsidies, extending the hospital’s ambulatory EMR vendor discounts and providing technical support. Two key factors driving hospital interest in supporting physician EMR adoption are improving the quality and efficiency of care and aligning physicians more closely with the hospital. A few hospitals have begun small-scale, phased rollouts of subsidized EMRs, but the burden of other hospital information technology projects, budget limitations and lack of physician interest are among the factors impeding hospital action. While it is too early to assess whether the regulatory changes will spur greater physician EMR adoption, the outcome will depend both on hospitals’ willingness to provide support and physicians’ acceptance of hospital assistance.”
Issue brief
Joy M. Grossman, Genna Cohen, Center for Studying Health System Change, September 2008

Hospitals slow to subsidize physician EMRs, study says

“Because of the burden of other ongoing hospital information technology projects, budget limitations and lack of physician interest, hospitals are not significantly taking advantage of the relaxation of federal physician self-referral and anti-kickback regulations to subsidize physician purchases of electronic medical-record systems, according to a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded study released today by the Washington-based Center for Studying Health System Change.”
Article
Andis Robeznieks, Modern Healthcare, 18 September 2008

Voice recognition: boldly going further

“In sci-fi land, the commander of the spaceship speaks to his computer – and the computer speaks back. Recent developments in voice recognition and wireless technology make this an increasingly reachable scenario within a hospital.
Already, some NHS staff are wearing badges that that they can use to contact any other badge-wearing member of staff. Telephone handsets are being piloted that allow nurses to say the name of a piece of equipment to find the location of the nearest item to them.”
Special Report
e-Health Insider, 11 September 2008

see also

N.C. health exchange launches portal-based EHR

“A North Carolina health information exchange has finished the first phase of an electronic health record project that lets physicians pull up patient data across more than a dozen hospitals.”|
Article
John Moore, Government Health IT, 5 September 2008

German hospitals count benefits of SAP

“Hospitals in Germany say they expect regional e-health networks to deliver substantial cost savings of up to €2 million a year.
The figures are extrapolated from a new survey, conducted by German software giant SAP. In its survey of hospital managers at ten major hospitals using SAP, respondents said they anticipated average savings of €100 for every patient.”
Article
e-Health Europe, 3 September 2008

Personal Health Records: More portable, but few seek access from health providers

“Americans have the right to access and take ownership of their health records, yet few take advantage of it despite the increasing complexity and cost of health care.
Physicians, for their part, are wary of relying on records provided by patients.”
Article
Gary Gosselin, Michigan Business Review, 3 September 2008

A Long Recovery - HIM Departments Three Years after Katrina

“Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which followed less than a month later, left a broken healthcare network in New Orleans—damaged facilities, scattered staff, and destroyed records. Three years later, every HIM department is still dealing with the impact. Most physical facilities have been repaired, but the operations are still recovering as the city slowly welcomes back patients.”
Article
Chris Dimick, AHIMA, August 2008

Can IT Help Hospitals Improve Their Relationships With Community Physicians?

“In boardrooms across the country, health system chief executives are searching for any tactic that might better align hospital and physician interests. Downward pressure on physician incomes has placed unprecedented strain on hospital-physician relations. At a minimum, doctors are increasing their productivity by reducing the time they spend on hospital initiatives. On the other of end of the spectrum, some physicians are competing directly with local hospitals through physician-owned outpatient centers.”
Article
Matt Cinque, iHealthBeat, 2 September 2008

Connecting with Physicians and Vendors for IT Adoption

“The road to connected health care is paved with complex conversations. Hospital leaders strategize with the board, bargain with vendors and negotiate with physicians, all with the goal of using information technology to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care. To introduce an ambulatory electronic medical record, hospitals and physicians often need to talk their way from conflicting agendas to common ground. And when working with a vendor, honest communication about expectations and deliverables is needed to lay the foundation for a fruitful partnership.”
Article
Jane Jeffries, HHNMostWired, 20 August 2008

Iowa community hospitals join integrated rural health network

“Three small hospitals in northern Iowa have installed an integrated electronic health record system, the first of its kind in a U.S. rural healthcare setting, according to health system officials.”
Article
Richard Pizzi, Healthcare IT News, 20 August 2008

Patient ID wristbands to be in hospitals throughout England, Wales

“Hospitals throughout England and Wales will soon be using patient identification wristbands to improve patient safety.
The National Health Service Supply Chain (NHSSC) has signed a multi-year contract with Bristol-based P3 Medical Ltd., to provide wristbands to the NHS hospital. Under the contract, P3 will distribute positive patient identification wristbands from Precision Dynamics Corporation, a global provider of identification wristbands and advanced RFID and bar code solutions.”
Article
Molly Merrill, Healtcare IT News Europe, 15 August 2008

Provider eHealth Portal allows regional hospitals to share data

“In 2005, the Ontario government decided to transfer the operation of Georgetown Hospital from William Osler Health Centre to Halton Healthcare Services. During the transition, historical clinical data was left on the Osler system, and after the transfer, many of the physicians remained at Georgetown and still provided service to Osler. In order to provide clinicians with access to patient data from both organizations, a “provider portal” was deemed the best approach to meet the clinical data sharing needs of physicians and clinicians.”
Article
Panteleon, Acumeme, 13 August 2008

Massachusetts Mandates Hospital EHRs

“Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has signed legislation mandating hospitals and community health centers to implement interoperable electronic health records systems by Oct. 1, 2015, as a condition of their state license.”
Article
Health Data Management, 13 August 2008

Gingrich Visits Silver Cross Urging Hospitals to Link Medical Records

“The former speaker of the House visited the Hedges Clinic in Frankfort and then Silver Cross in Joliet. He observed how electronic medical records can link several physicians, caring for the same patient, at different times and different points along the care spectrum.
“I think what you’re doing — in beginning to reach out to doctors and integrating the whole community — is really, really important,” Gingrich told an audience at Silver Cross. “And I encourage you to continue doing it and develop it”.”
Article
Tony Graf, The Herald News, 13 August 2008

Patient-Centric IT Demands New Investments

“Disease management, consumerism and the evolving link between quality and reimbursement will drive an overall increase in the total investment in information technology. In an informal poll of organizations recognized with a 2008 Most Wired award, hospital IT executives see these three forces—with particular emphasis on consumerism—pressuring hospitals to spend more on information technology.”
Article
Alden Solovy, HHNMostWired, 6 August 2008

U.S. Health System Is A ‘National Tragedy’

“In his LinuxWorld keynote, McKesson’s CIO said the lack of modern technology in doctors’ offices, hospitals, and research centers is costing Americans their lives.”
Article
Antone Gonsalves, InformationWeek, 5 August 2008

A cross-case analysis of technology-in-use practices: EPR-adaptation in Canada and Norway

“Purpose
To identify and characterize enabling factors that support a continuous adaptation of technology and work practices in the health care sector.
Methods
Cross-case analysis of two longitudinal ethnographic studies of managing the gradual adaptation of electronic patient records, one in Canada and one Norway.
Results
The cross-case analysis revealed that technology-in-use practices developed more rapidly in one of the cases, and one of the major driving forces was the establishment of a special committee and the associated project meetings. Based on the literature and grounded in the empirical observations, we complement and expand the notion of project meetings as composed of continuous reflection-on-practice activities to construct technology-in-use practices.
Conclusion
We characterize reflection-on-practice activities as frequent encounters of negotiations of work practices and technology use, providing internal actors a space for systematic evaluation of suggested changes. Further we argue that representatives of the affected professions should not only participate, but also have a mandate to make and evaluate decisions of the technology-in-use practices of the particular group.
Abstract
Nina Boulus and Pernille Bjorn, International Journal of Medical Informatics, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 31 July 2008, doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2008.06.008

Device Identification, Synchronization Can Boost Patient Safety

“When peanut butter contaminated with salmonella was recalled last year, it was quickly and efficiently removed from grocery store shelves. Health care providers and suppliers, however, can’t reliably identify potentially life-threatening recalled or defective devices. Unlike virtually every other product in commerce, medical supplies and devices cannot be identified in a systematic and consistent manner.”
Article
Joseph Pleasant, HHNMostWired, 23 July 2008

Babies Bar Coded To Prevent Medicine Mixups

“After several cases of children being harmed or even killed after being given the wrong dose of medication, a local hospital’s policy became more prevalent.
Centennial Medical Center switched recently to a bar coding system, which is similar to what is seen in stores and will match the correct medicine to patients.”
Article
Tom Randles, WSMV, 18 July 2008

Hospitals can appeal to patients via virtual worlds, says IT expert

“Palomar Pomerado Health of San Diego, Calif. , plans to open a new, high-tech hospital in 2011, but according to Palomar’s chief technology officer, an IT-driven community outreach effort has already begun.”
Article
Richard Pizzi, Healthcare IT News, 18 July 2008

Do Hospitals With Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) Provide Higher Quality Care?

“This study investigates how hospital electronic medical record (EMR) use influences quality performance. Data include nonfederal acute care hospitals in the United States. Sources of the data include the American Hospital Association, Hospital Quality Alliance, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services case-mix index sets. The authors use a retrospective cross-sectional format with linear regression to assess the relationship between hospital EMR use and quality performance. Quality performance is measured using 10 process indicators related to 3 clinical conditions: acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia. The authors also use a propensity score adjustment to control for possible selection bias. After this adjustment, the authors identify a positive significant relationship between EMR use and 4 of the 10 quality indicators. They conclude that there is limited evidence of the relationship between hospital EMR use and quality.”
Abstract
Abby S. Kazley, Yasar A. Ozcan, Medical Care Research and Review, Vol. 65, No. 4, 496-513 (2008), DOI: 10.1177/1077558707313437

Survey: ‘Wired Hospitals’ lead to increase in key quality measures

“According to the 10th annual Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study, hospitals that embrace information technology demonstrate better patient satisfaction outcomes, risk-adjusted mortality rates and other key quality measures.”
Article
Molly Merrill, Healthcare IT News, 16 July 2008

Large hospitals, IDNs drive use of RFID in healthcare settings

“The market for or radio frequency identification (RFID) in healthcare is booming, according to a new report from the Spyglass Consulting Group.
The adoption and investment in RFID solutions - primarily to track high-value mobile assets, patients and staff members - represents a 204 percent increase from Spyglass’ 2005 RFID study, said Gregg Malkary, Spyglass’ managing director.”
Article
Bernie Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 8 July 2008