ElectronicHealthcare
Abstract
HIMSS Update
HIMSS Names Michael Nusbaum and Guy Paterson as
Fellows
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
recently awarded Fellowships to two Canadians, Guy Paterson and
Michael Nusbaum. HIMSS Fellows must have contributed substantial
service to the healthcare industry at the local, national and
international level through publications and presentations, and
through their ongoing professional development, continuing
education and participation in healthcare organizations.
Michael Nusbaum has been professionally active in the field of health informatics for almost 30 years. Since 1983, he has been providing management consulting services, in private practice, to a large variety of healthcare provider, vendor and professional organizations. Michael is President of the HIMSS Washington State Chapter, and is also President of the Healthcare Leaders' Association of B.C.
Guy Paterson is a Healthcare Information Management
Professional, with over 30 years of experience in the delivery of
Healthcare Services including clinical practice, information
management and business development. He is currently an independent
consultant based in Saskatoon, SK. He is currently on the volunteer
Board of Directors of Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation and a
Director of HL7 Canada.
HIMSS Applauds President's Plan Proposing Most Americans Have
Access to EHRs Within the Next 10 Years
HIMSS applauded and supported the steps announced by George W. Bush
to ensure that all Americans have access to electronic health
records within the next 10 years.
One of these steps includes the appointment of a National Health Information Technology (NHIT) Coordinator reporting directly to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide the leadership and coordination needed to achieve this 10-year goal.
HIMSS recommended in its April 2003 advocacy agenda, the formation of a senior-level official reporting directly to the HHS Secretary to coordinate the creation of a National Health Information Infrastructure, a step suggested to ensure access to the staffing and funding needed for the development of the NHII.
According to comments released by the White House, the new NHIT
Coordinator will be:
- Guiding ongoing work on health information standards and
working to identify and implement the various steps needed to
support and encourage health information technology in the public
and private healthcare delivery systems
- Coordinating partnerships between government agencies and private sector stakeholders to speed the adoption of health information technology.
HIMSS Announces Dave Garets as CEO of New Research-Based
Subsidiary
David E. Garets has been named President and Chief Executive
Officer of the new HIMSS subsidiary company that will provide
research and information services to the healthcare information
technology field.
A well-recognized leader in the industry, Garets now serves as
Executive Vice-President of Healthlink Incorporated. He is formerly
a hospital CIO and industry analyst. He was a faculty member for
executive education courses offered by the College of Healthcare
Information Management Executives (CHIME) and sits on several
editorial advisory boards of healthcare industry journals and trade
publications. Garets is chairman of the HIMSS Board of Directors,
but will resign that position when he assumes the role of CEO of
the new HIMSS subsidiary.
Patient Safety Institute Becomes Sponsor of Continuity of
Care Record
The ASTM International, Massachusetts Medical Society, HIMSS,
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) and American Medical Association welcome the
Patient Safety Institute (PSI) to their ranks as the most recent
sponsor of the effort to develop a standard for the Continuity of
Care Record (CCR).
The CCR will enable healthcare providers to base future care on relevant and timely patient information. It is a core data set of the most relevant and timely facts about a patient's healthcare, prepared by a provider at the conclusion of a healthcare encounter in order to enable the next provider to readily access such information. It includes a summary of the patient's health status (e.g., allergies, medications, vital signs, diagnoses, recent care provided) and basic information about insurance, advance directives, care documentation and care plan recommendations.
The Patient Safety Institute (PSI), formed in 2001, is a
not-for-profit membership organization governed by consumer,
physician and hospital advocates who work together to improve
healthcare safety and quality while lowering the cost of
healthcare. PSI was formed to provide secure real-time access to
clinical information at the point of care.
Supplier News
McKesson Reshuffles Business Lines
McKesson Corp., San Francisco, has reorganized into three business
divisions-Provider Technologies, Pharmaceutical Solutions and
Medical-Surgical Solutions-to try to become more efficient in the
selling and servicing of products.
The Atlanta-based information technology division, formerly called Information Solutions, now is part of the new Provider Technologies division. The division also includes hospital pharmacy robotics and other medication automation technologies, and multi-business sales operations that previously were in other divisions. Pamela Pure, formerly COO of Information Solutions, now is president of Provider Technologies and executive vice-president of McKesson Corp.
Payer-oriented software and services have been moved to the new
Pharmaceutical Solutions division, which retains its old name. The
payer products were moved because of their alignment with mail
order pharmacy and reimbursement cycle operations in the division.
Payer solutions include claims auditing, disease management,
medical guidelines and criteria, and analytical software. For more
information, visit www.mckesson.com.
Prescription Software for $250
Mindware Medical LLC, a vendor of electronic medical records
software for small physician practices, has introduced a
prescription writing module that costs $250 per prescribing
provider.
The RXMinder product enables physicians to write up to 30
prescriptions in a single encounter, which can then be printed out
or faxed to a pharmacy. The software also enables physicians to
electronically track patients' medications, according to the
Chandler, AZ-based vendor. More details and a trial version are
available at www.mindwaremedical.com.
Claims Software Targets Payers
Physmark Inc. has introduced software it touts as an
"off-the-shelf" clearinghouse for payer organizations. The Clear-It
product supports direct payer receipt from providers of
HIPAA-formatted claims and related transactions. The software
translates the transactions into proprietary formats to enable
payers to continue using legacy information systems, according to
the vendor. Optional modules support real-time, web-based enquiries
such as eligibility verification and claim status, repricing of
claims, and data mining functions. While targeted to payers, the
vendor also will market the software to large provider
organizations that want to bypass claims clearinghouses. For more
information, go to physmark.com.
IBM Launches $250 Million Global Healthcare
Initiatives
IBM has announced major healthcare initiatives to help healthcare
providers and payers manage costs, reduce medical errors and
deliver better patient care. The initiative will infuse an
estimated $250 million of investments into IBM's healthcare
business over the next three years for new hiring of healthcare
specialists, solutions development, research and development
projects, IBM Business Partner collaborations and other
programs.
Highlights include:
- Groundbreaking collaborations with Duke University Health
System and the Moffitt Cancer Center & Research
Institute
- New healthcare solutions designed to support information-based
medicine initiatives and bring safer, more efficient approaches to
healthcare
- The formation of the IBM Center for Healthcare
Management
- Creation of the IBM Research Healthcare and Life Sciences
Institute
- New IBM Clinical Transformation consulting practice and IBM Information Based Medicine business unit
Per-Se's Connective Healthcare Solutions Enable Hospitals and
Healthcare Organizations to Achieve Their Income
Potential
Per-Se Technologies has announced a new class of services created
to help organizations navigate today's complex and often
frustrating healthcare business environment. As part of the
company's Connective Healthcare strategy, Per-Se has introduced a
comprehensive portfolio of solutions that help hospitals and
healthcare organizations achieve their full income potential by
improving and accelerating the flow of funds.
Connective Healthcare solutions for healthcare organizations
create operational efficiencies and foster revenue growth in two
categories: Revenue Cycle Management and Resource Management. These
solutions increase revenue and decrease costs by streamlining
reimbursement and operational processes, maintaining compliance and
improving the use of existing assets and IT investments.
Agfa and Evolved Digital Systems Come Together to Deliver an
IMPAX Integrated Solution
Agfa, a leader in digital imaging solutions, and Evolved, the first
Managed Services provider in the diagnostic imaging market, have
announced that McKenna Memorial Hospital, a 132-bed acute care
facility serving the 36,000 residents of New Braunfels, TX, has
implemented a community-wide digital solution that will see the
RadWeb¨ technology from Evolved implemented as part of an Agfa
IMPAX¨ integrated solution. Via the Internet, RadWeb enables
physicians and radiologists rapid and secure access to radiology
images and reports, as well as the full patient exam
status.
Two Irish Clinics Choose CoPathPlus From Misys to Enhance
Pathology Operations
Misys Healthcare Systems has announced that two leading private
laboratories in Ireland have selected CoPathPlusª from Misys, its
anatomic pathology information system. Bon Secours Clinic in Cork,
a member of a large international private network, and Blackrock
Clinic in Dublin are replacing their pathology legacy systems with
CoPathPlus, establishing Misys as one of the fastest-growing
laboratory system suppliers in Ireland.
Designed to meet the unique workflow requirements of the
anatomic pathology department, CoPathPlus provides comprehensive
patient and specimen information viewable in a wide variety of
formats. The system incorporates images and diagrams, and comprises
an integrated report writer, a library of more than 200 report
options such as cytology screening statistical requirements and
Quality Assurance and fast report turnaround functions. Other
features include histology protocols, automated billing and SNOMED
coding. CoPathPlus is HL7-compliant and offers the scalability to
integrate with Misys CPRª as well as any other computer-based
patient record system.
Companion Makes a Coding Deal
Companion Technologies will resell the CodeScan product of White
Plume Technologies as an integrated charge capture and coding
module for its physician practice management software, called
Companion PM. Terms of the alliance with Birmingham, AL- based
White Plume were not disclosed.
CodeScan is designed to capture charge data through document imaging of an encounter form, via an electronic form on a Tablet PC, or imported from other information systems.
Companion Technologies also sells electronic medical records
software for physician practices and claims management software for
hospitals.
QuadraMed Launches ASP Services
QuadraMed Corp. has introduced remotely hosted versions of its
Affinity clinical/financial hospital information systems and
Quantim suite of health information management software via the
application service provider computing model. The products, hosted
by data centre partners of the Reston,VA-based vendor, are
available for a monthly subscription fee.
Software Centralizes Scheduling
SpectraSoft Inc. has introduced Web-based, centralized patient
scheduling software for multi-site provider organizations. The
AppointmentsCS software enables schedulers at any site to book
patients at another location without confirmation telephone calls
or manual reentry of data, according to the Tempe, AZ-based
vendor.
Each location requires an Internet connection to access the software. Standard features-which may require integration with a facility's practice management software-include insurance eligibility verification and exporting records to a billing service.
Optional features include automated patient reminders via
telephone or e-mail.
Linux Finds another Booster
Westboro, MA-based eClinicalWorks has introduced new versions of
its electronic medical records and physician practice management
software that support the Linux operating system.
Version 6.0 of the records software, called eClinicalWorks EMR,
also supports Microsoft Corp.'s Digital Ink technology that enables
chart annotations on Tablet PCs and electronic signatures on
prescriptions. Further, the records software integrates with Dragon
Systems' Naturally Speaking speech recognition software, and
supports electronic test results from laboratory chains Laboratory
Corp. of America and Quest Diagnostics. Earlier versions of the
software supported the electronic transmission of test orders to
these labs, but not the results.
Scanner Grabs Data at the Desk
ICS Software Ltd., a vendor of physician practice management
software, has introduced a device to electronically capture patient
insurance information at the physician office front desk. The Sammy
Card Scanner images the front and back of an insurance card, and
downloads and stores the document in the patient's file within the
practice management system, according to the Oceanside, NY-based
vendor. For more information, visit sammyusa.net.
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