Client News Coverage

ASCs Face Unique Meaningful Use Challenges—Understanding the 50% Rule and How to Respond

Posted in Client News Coverage on Thursday, November 10, 2011.

Twenty-seven billion dollars in potential incentive payments would make any industry take action. When coupled with steep future penalties for noncompliance, the stakes for achieving meaningful use (MU) go even higher.

For the Record»

Commentary: Why RECs and HIEs need each other

Posted in Client News Coverage on Friday, October 14, 2011.

Regional Extension Centers (RECs) and health information exchange (HIE) initiatives share a common purpose: enabling the exchange of patient information to improve health outcomes and care quality. Their individual goals and objectives are also complementary. RECs support physicians in the selection, implementation and use of electronic health records (EHRs), while HIEs provide the infrastructure across which the information collected by those EHRs can be exchanged.

Government Health IT»

5 Steps for a Successful Joint Commission Infection Control Survey

Posted in Client News Coverage on Wednesday, October 05, 2011.

The Joint Commission has upped the ante on infection prevention, a move that has many hospitals scrambling to prepare for surveys that now encompass more than just a review of historical outcomes data.

Becker's ASC Review»

ASCs Face Unique Meaningful Use Challenges - Understanding the 50% Rule and How to Respond

Posted in Client News Coverage on Monday, September 26, 2011.

Twenty-seven billion dollars in potential incentive payments would make any industry take action. When coupled with steep future penalties for noncompliance, the stakes for achieving meaningful use (MU) go even higher.

For the Record»

State HIEs Face Assessment Deadline to Maintain Federal Monies

Posted in Client News Coverage on Monday, September 26, 2011.

A critical deadline is looming for states and state-designated entities awarded monies under the State Health Information Exchange (HIE) Cooperative Agreement Program: Progress Assessments and updated Strategic and Operational Plans.

For the Record»

Leveraging Clinical Decision Support

Posted in Client News Coverage on Wednesday, August 24, 2011.

CDS tools help accelerate adoption of evidence into clinical practice

By applying the best available evidence gained from accepted scientific methodology to clinical decision-making, the practice of evidence-based medicine generates measurable improvements in the quality and safety of care. Gains in either area can be traced to improved costs, due in particular to the elimination of expenses associated with errors and other adverse events.

Executive Insights»

Alliance aims to help health plans improve quality

Posted in Client News Coverage on Wednesday, August 24, 2011.

MedHOK, which develops cloud-based care management and compliance software, has partnered with New York County Health Services Review Organization (NYCHSRO)/MedReview to help health plans drive improvements in their HEDIS scores.

Healthcare IT News »

Specificity to the Extreme: As ICD-10 deadlines Draw Closer, Is Your Organization Ready for the Good, the Bad … and the Offbeat?

Posted in Client News Coverage on Wednesday, August 24, 2011.

Chances are that most healthcare organizations will be able to raise the bar on current documentation practices high enough to support coding for suture of an artery under ICD-10—even though the possible codes expand from just one under ICD-9 to more than 180 under the new code set. But what if a patient walked into a lamp post (W22.02xA) or was bitten by a sea lion (W56.11xA)? What if the patient was burned by a flaming jet ski (V91.07 xA) or suffers from inadequate sleep hygiene (Z72.821)?

HISTalk»

Successfully Navigating a CPOE Strategy: Leveraging Technological Advancement to Efficiently Deploy Evidence-Based Order Sets

Posted in Client News Coverage on Wednesday, August 17, 2011.

In today's healthcare climate, CPOE can no longer be a long-range strategy that healthcare organizations hope to achieve at a leisurely pace that fits in neatly with available resources and workflows. As meaningful use deadlines loom on the horizon, a sense of urgency exists to rapidly deploy a successful CPOE strategy that will be adopted for the long-term and will set the stage for the next phase of MU.

Becker's Hospital Review»

Governance first, technology second to effective CPOE deployment

Posted in Client News Coverage on Monday, August 01, 2011.

Rapid development of order sets provides the foundation for CPOE, but healthcare organizations first need an effective governance plan built around clinician workflow.

The computerized physician order entry (CPOE) race is fully underway as the clock ticks for healthcare organizations to meet meaningful-use deadline requirements. And while choosing the right technology is an essential component to best-practice deployment of CPOE, it’s important that a critical first step to creating a foundation for long-term success is not missed – the creation of a solid governance plan built around clinician workflows.

Health Management Technology»

Flowing with the Evidence

Posted in Client News Coverage on Tuesday, July 26, 2011.

One Massachusetts health system moves forward swimmingly with evidence-based ordering

As more and more patient care organizations move forward to implement the use of evidence-based order sets for electronic physician ordering, their leaders are learning a variety of lessons about what works best, and how best to plan their go-lives within the context of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) implementation within the electronic health record (EHR). One integrated delivery system that has moved forward is Signature Healthcare, a Brockton, Mass.-based system that encompasses a 225-bed hospital, a provider organization with 120 physicians and 30 mid-level practitioners, a school of nursing, and a foundation.

Healthcare Informatics»

Protecting Patient Identity

Posted in Client News Coverage on Tuesday, July 26, 2011.

The Social Security number (SSN) has evolved over the years from an identification number used primarily when enrolling for Social Security benefits to its present status as the de facto national identifier-and a prime target for identity thieves.

Healthcare Informatics»

The Race to ICD-10 Readiness

Posted in Client News Coverage on Monday, July 18, 2011.

As the ICD-10 deadline draws closer, healthcare organizations need to prioritize preparations.

From 5010 to meaningful use, there are multiple initiatives competing for the attention and resources of healthcare organizations. Yet amid all the noise and distractions, one important deadline stands out:  the Oct. 1, 2013 date by which hospitals, physician practices and other healthcare organizations must have completed their transition from the ICD-9 to the ICD-10 code set.

ADVANCE»

Efficient Medication Delivery & Monitoring

Posted in Client News Coverage on Monday, July 04, 2011.

Wireless, automated medication tracking solutions are boosting productivity, cost efficiencies and patient satisfaction.

Automation - it's a word that has become synonymous with the ability of a healthcare organization to foster an environment that most efficiently uses resources to best serve patient care. It has gained momentum in recent years as a solid strategy for merging cost containment needs with the advancement of HIT, ultimately taking the effectiveness of healthcare delivery to the next level.

Executive Insight»

Meeting REMS head on

Posted in Client News Coverage on Friday, July 01, 2011.

Standardization, streamlined processes and technology hold the keys.

The Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) program has taken center stage recently as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pharmacies and healthcare providers seek ways to improve and streamline its administration. Many believe that the FDA’s original intent with REMS – to provide a proactive method for addressing drug safety and post-marketing surveillance of medication safety – is being hampered by its own inherent complexities and lack of standardization.

Health Management Technology»