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Healthcare IT: Remote Access Solution Connects Physicians 24x7

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:56:03 -0400

Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians (COPCP), a physician-owned medical group, needed a way to keep all of its physicians and selected other staffers connected 24x7 from any location. The goal? To allow physicians who are outside of the organization's internal network, such as when they are doing rounds or visiting our local partner hospitals, to sit down at any computer and access the COPCP internal network. - Columbus, OH-based Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians (COPCP), a physician-owned medical group, was founded in 1996 by 33 physicians from nine private practices who wanted to focus their time on providing quality health care for their patients. COPCP serves 325,000 patients in 47 locations with...

Harvard, Massachusetts General Collaborate on AIDS Research Via Web Conferencing

Fri, 20 May 2011 15:37:38 -0400

A SaaS-based online collaboration platform is enabling doctors, researchers and clinicians at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital to collaborate on research and engage fellow practitioners in South Africa, China and Nepal. - A web-based collaboration platform is being used to enable participants in the HOPE project to collaborate and share insight on how to treat AIDS and HIV. The Harvard University Center for AIDS Research and Massachusetts General formed HOPE (HIV Online Provider Education) in 2004. Doctors, resear...

Social Medicine: Is the Internet Transforming Healthcare?

Fri, 13 May 2011 14:51:58 -0400

Whether or not you work in the healthcare or pharmaceutical industries, it's worth noting the growing role of the Internet and social networks in how we make medical decisions. The fact that Americans are turning to the Internet and social networks for resources on some of our most deeply personal healthcare issues is a striking commentary on just how much our ideas about privacy are changing. If someone is willing to discuss their personal medical care in an open forum, it should give you pause to consider what else they might be open to discussing online, including, perhaps, confidential information about your company. With this in mind, the report "Peer to Peer Healthcare," released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, reveals that, while many of us continue to consult family and friends about health problems, the Web has taken on greater importance than ever as a source of information, particularly for those grappling with chronic illness. In addition, another Pew report, "The Social Life of Health Information," finds that 11% of adults, have followed their friends personal health experiences or updates on via social networking sites. Even so, the majority of health care conversations continue to happen offline: Just 5% of adults say they received online information, care, or support from a health professional, 13% say they had online contact with friends and family, and 5% say they interacted online with fellow patients. The "Peer to Peer Healthcare" report is based in part on a national telephone survey of 3,001 adults which captures an estimate of how widespread this activity is in the U.S. All numerical data included in the report is based on the telephone survey. The other part of the analysis is based on an online survey of 2,156 members of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) who wrote short essays about their use of the Internet in caring for themselves or for their loved ones. "The Social Life of Health Information" report is based on a national telephone survey conducted in August and September 2010 among 3,001 adults in the U.S. - ...

Mapping Patient Data: Aurora Health Care's Business Analytics Mission

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 13:19:03 -0400

Serving 1.5 million patients a year, this not-for-profit health system is looking to maximize its ability to analyze data in order to attract researchers for clinical trials. One of the key technical challenges is mapping Aurora's clinical data to put it into a form that is suitable for medical research, while at the same time ensuring patient privacy. - Aurora Health Care, Milwaukee, Wisc., has undertaken a major patient data collection initiative in order to improve patient care. The organization is also looking to make itself attractive to pharmaceutical companies and research universities that want to engage in clinical trials. Aurora Health Ca...

Implementing Electronic Health Records: Six Best Practices

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:28:13 -0500

Accenture recently published a report entitled Secrets of Success on the EMR Journey to Meaningful Use, which is based on interviews conducted with CIOs of health systems with advanced use of electronic medical records (EMRs). According to the report, less than 1 percent of health systems achieved mature use of EMRs in 2009, and approximately 50 percent of US hospitals are at risk of incurring penalties by 2015 for failing to meet federal requirements. Accenture estimates that an average 500-bed hospital would face annual reductions in Medicare reimbursement rates equivalent to $3 million to $6 million annually for failing to meet meaningful use requirements by 2015. Whats more, the survey finds that most major health systems underestimate the time and cost required to implement advanced EMR functions. �Meaningful use of EMRs is often wrongly characterized as a check-the-box qualification for stimulus monies,� says Mark Knickrehm, global managing director, Accenture Health Practice. �But, this survey shows that exemplary hospital CIOs and health systems are changing the way technology is used to deliver healthcare. From strategic planning, staffing and adoption, health systems are integrating technology at a previously unprecedented level, but many health systems are lagging and at risk of facing penalties.� The survey results are based on in-depth, in-person interviews conducted with 15 CIOs from select US health systems with advanced EMR use and annual revenues between $1 billion and $15 billion from April to August of 2010. - ...

Businesses Health Care Compliance Help with HighRoads

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

HighRoads, a provider of employer health care compliance and benefits management, announced that its full-service technology solution HR Compliance has been optimized to better serve SMB clients. - As cost-conscious businesses get ready to delve into compliance regulations in the wake of the health care bill's passage, HighRoads offers midmarket companies a solution to ensure the necessary compliance. With HR Compliance, companies of any size can get assistance in navigating the complex regul...

IT Spending Due for Health Care Bump

Mon, 10 May 2010 10:28:57 -0400

Health-care reform will require billions in IT investment by government agencies to achieve legislative mandates, according to a new report from INPUT. - ...

A Management and Information Perspective on Healthcare

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:40:35 -0400

You would never put up with anything as inefficient as the US healthcare system in your own organization. Maybe we should apply some of the principles you use to the problem. - Its 3 p.m. on a Thursday. Youve got a doctors appointment in an hour; he wants to follow up on a cholesterol drug he prescribed. You turn to the screen on your desk and study the dashboard. All company systems in all regions are in the green zone. The logistics problem in Phoenix yesterday has b...

Virtualization Delivers on Health Records Project

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:37:11 -0400

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center combines a big virtualization project with a critical electronic records rollout. - See also: 10 Reasons to Build Your Own Cloud. Delivering electronic health records (EHR) to physicians and patients securely and efficiently can be a challenging proposition for health-care facilities. So can implementing virtualization in the data center. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Bo...

Dossia Versus the Healthcare Monster

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:16:38 -0400

Can a non-profit consortium tackle some of healthcare's biggest issues? Dossia aims to find out -- with Wal-Mart as a key testing environment. - Want more on this topic? See a slideshow here. Reducing healthcare costs and inefficiencies by providing electronic health records to individuals has long been one of those goals that keep receding into the future. Now Dossia, a non-profit consortium of large companies committed to providing ...

10 Ways IT Makes Wal-Mart Healthier

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:00:48 -0400

Big companies like Wal-Mart are backing an electronic health records consortium called Dossia. The impact on the business and practice of healthcare could be profound.

For an in-depth view of Dossia, see this article. - ...

Identity Theft: Providence Health's Serious Pain

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Providence Health & Services lost information on 365,000 patients& after 10 backup tapes and disks were stolen from the back of an employee's minivan. Now, 12 months and $7 million later, the health-care provider remains mired in the aftermath. Here's - Laureen O'Brien, chief information officer of Providence Health Services' Oregon region, was in her office, just back from the 2006 New Year's holiday. A phone call that Tuesday, Jan. 3, brought news that every CIO dreads. Someone had stolen a computer bag out of a systems analyst's car four night...

Industry Focus: Healthcare IT

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:58:00 -0400

- When it comes to medicine, technology always seems to lag behind. Misalignment, mismanagement and other stumbling blocks have made it difficult for healthcare firms to truly realize the benefits technology can bring to the industry. This special industry focus highlights recent advancements in telem...

The War on Healthcare

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 00:00:00 -0400

In the expensive, confused world of healthcare IT, the slightly less-convoluted world of military IT might be the right model to follow. - The U.S. Military is often criticized for overspending on its convoluted bureaucracy. But when it comes to electronic patient records, Uncle Sam may just be the model of healthcare efficiency. In the private sector, electronic health records are gaining about as much traction as a snowboard in...

Hospitals Put IT in Second Place

Mon, 26 Dec 2005 10:22:00 -0500

Innovations 2006: Information technology is a priority for hospitals, but with many of them facing a difficult financial environment exacerbated by the ballooning ranks of the uninsured investing in new IT systems may have to wait. - Nearly one-third of American hospitals aren't profitable or are just breaking even. That's consistent with the previous finding of a survey of hospital CEOs conducted two years ago by consulting firm Deloitte Touche. And while that may not sound very upbeat, the good news for the industry is t...