Monday, May 3, 2010

Health Informatics News

Health Informatics News

Hudson Selects TCS Technologies for Care Management Software

Posted: 03 May 2010 09:09 AM PDT

Hudson Health Plan , a managed care organization based in New York’s Hudson Valley, has chosen Auburn, Calif.-based TCS Healthcare Technologies ’ Acuity Advanced Care software system to integrate and manage data files and support Hudson’s Utilization Management, Case Management, Disease Management, and Prevention/Wellness services. Hudson anticipates the effort will help identify and ensure that members who need extra attention, such as those most at risk for complications from diabetes or pregnancy, are put into the hands of Hudson’s nurse case managers, and at the same time raise the level of care of all its members. Additional IT tools purchased as part of the ACUITY platform include: AcuStrat, a population stratification and automation tool that turns patient healthcare information into automated actionable events; AcuPort Advanced, a middleware software (Extraction, Transformation, & Loading) solution to link disparate information from multiple applications into one system; and AcuCare Programs for Asthma, Diabetes, Heart Failure, and High Risk Pregnancy.  Hudson Health Plan, which is based in Tarrytown, N.Y., plans to go live with the ACUITY system later this year.

Faxton Utilizes Meru Networks’ Virtualized Wireless LAN

Posted: 03 May 2010 09:08 AM PDT

Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (Utica, NY) has replaced their legacy microcell wireless LAN with Sunnyvale, CA based Meru Networks ’ virtualized WLAN in an effort to better manage their complex suite of converged applications, including bedside registration, RFID for hospital asset tracking, transport device teletracking, surgery scheduling, nurse voice call and automated temperature medication monitoring. Faxton, a not for profit healthcare system with two campus locations for inpatient and outpatient care, as well as long term care, had been utilizing Cisco WLAN products, which it said produced “roaming hiccups” that limited the functionality of its network of interactive applications. Meru’s virtualized WLAN network provides an estimated 1,400 patients and family members with free wireless internet access across Faxton's 1.3 million sq. ft. facility, as well as hosting several hundred staff and administrative users. According to Meru and Faxton, the new system has increased the efficiency of transport personnel, cut nurse response time to improve Press Ganey survey results, and lowered hospital maintenance cost.

Merge Healthcare Aquires AMICAS

Posted: 03 May 2010 08:02 AM PDT

Merge Healthcare  (Milwaukee) successfully closed a merger agreement with Amicas, Inc. last week. The deal creates a medical imaging software and healthcare IT solutions provider with a combined customer base of approximately 1,500 hospitals and 2,200 outpatient sites in the U.S., a complementary product suite, and distribution agreements in over 35 countries. For outpatient imaging businesses, the newly combined company offers solutions for revenue cycle management, radiology information systems, referring physician connectivity solutions, radiology PACS and CAD solutions. For hospitals, Merge will offer interoperability and healthcare IT solutions, as well as comprehensive departmental solutions for cardiology, radiology, and perioperative departments. Additionally, Merge will deliver the entire solution set internationally, through established global channels. In 2009, Merge signed distribution contracts in 24 countries. Merge Healthcare specializes in the automation of healthcare data and diagnostics to improve electronic records of the patient experience and enhance product development for health IT, device, and pharmaceutical companies.

CHIME: Certification Process Must Be Equipped to Handle Demand

Posted: 03 May 2010 07:16 AM PDT

The proposed program to certify EHR technology will create challenges for the government in ensuring there is sufficient capacity to handle demand early on while achieving consistent results from the various organizations that will be certifying systems, according to a statement issued by the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). In its comments, which were made in response to a Notice of Proposed Rule-Making issued by the Office of the National Coordinator for Healthcare IT, CHIME said the effort is important for fostering the use of EHRs, and the government should focus adequate attention and resources to ensure the success of the program. In responding to whether certification should expand to other technologies, CHIME noted that the priority must be on the EHR certification program. The organization also calls for careful design of any surveillance program that aims to assess the performance of certified products in actual care settings. To access CHIME’s letter filed with ONC, please click here .

Cerner Reports First Quarter Growth

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 09:06 AM PDT

Cerner Corporation announced today results for the first quarter of 2010, showing a growth in bookings, revenue, earnings and cash flow. Bookings in the first quarter of 2010 increased to $404.9 million, up 22 percent from $332.8 million in the first quarter of 2009 and a record high for first quarter bookings. First quarter revenue was $431.3 million, up 10 percent compared to $392.3 million the same period one year ago. On a Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) basis, first quarter 2010 net earnings were $50.3 million, and diluted earnings per share were $0.59, also up from 2009. First quarter cash collections of $483.7 million and an operating cash flow of $105.5 million were also reported. Cerner Corporation, headquartered in Kansas City, MO, specializes in solutions to optimize processes that eliminate error, variance and waste for healthcare organizations.

Maryland HIE Taps Axolotl

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 09:05 AM PDT

The Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP), Maryland’s state-designated entity for health information exchange (HIE), has selected San Jose, Calif.-based Axolotl ’s Elysium Exchange technology as the core infrastructure to network state healthcare providers’ disparate health information systems and EMRs. Using Axolotl’s Elysium Exchange suite of applications and a certified EMR, providers will be able to exchange information and communicate directly over a secure Internet connection. “The goal of the statewide HIE is to ensure that all appropriately authorized providers throughout the state have the information they need, when and where they need to, to make the best decisions possible,” said David Sharp, Director, Center for Health IT, Maryland Health Care Commission. Once fully implemented, the statewide HIE architecture will enable connections between Maryland’s approximately 47 acute care hospitals, 7,907 physician practices, public health organizations, independent lab and radiology centers, pharmacies and the Nationwide Health Information Network.  CRISP, a private, non-profit organization, was selected by the Maryland Health Care Commission to implement the statewide HIE, in an effort being funded through the state’s all-payer system as well as through a $9.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Philips and Orion Partner on Integration Engine

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 09:00 AM PDT

Netherlands-based  Philips Healthcare announced an agreement with  Orion Health (Santa Monica, Calif.) to deploy the Orion Health Rhapsody Integration Engine across Philips’ portfolio of solutions. Philips says the partnership with Orion Health to automate the delivery of clinical data with the Rhapsody platform will allow the company to deploy technology faster and help customers achieve cost savings. “Making data from Philips’ solutions more accessible to physicians can improve patient outcomes by presenting a more complete clinical record,” said Paul Viskovich, president of Orion Health North America. “The electronic exchange of patient data is a critical component of advancing health reform and we’re proud to partner with an organization of Philips’ caliber.”

St. Joseph’s Gets PACS

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 06:55 AM PDT

St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center (SJRMC), a 651-bed academic facility located in Paterson, N.J., is deploying Phillipsburg, N.J.-based Infinitt North America ’s Web-based Enterprise PACS. According to the company, St. Joseph’s used its own migration tools and methods to transfer more than 30 Terabytes of image and patient data in less than five months. Infinitt migration tools can perform automatic migration according to predefined rules, compare legacy PACS data and Infinitt PACS data for verification, and monitor the migration status of each study in the migration list, it touts. SJRMC, which includes St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, is part of the 880-bed St. Joseph’s Healthcare System . St. Joseph’s is a state designated trauma center, consisting of three hospitals and two outpatient imaging centers.

FDA Launches Initiative to Reduce Infusion Pump Risks

Posted: 29 Apr 2010 12:37 PM PDT

The Washington-based U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a new initiative to address safety problems associated with external infusion pumps. As part of its initiative, the FDA is moving to establish additional premarket requirements for infusion pumps through issuance of a new draft guidance to infusion pump manufacturers. The FDA is also announcing a May public workshop on infusion pump design, and launching a new Web page devoted to infusion pump safety. Failures of infusion pumps have been observed across multiple manufacturers and pump types, says the agency, adding that many of the reported problems appear to be related to deficiencies in device design and engineering. As part of its initiative, the FDA published draft guidance today recommending that infusion pump manufacturers begin to provide additional design and engineering information to the agency during premarket review of the devices. Additionally, the FDA issued a letter to infusion pump manufacturers, informing them that they may need to conduct additional risk assessments to support clearance of new or modified pumps. The FDA’s public workshop will be held May 25-26, 2010. To help reduce infusion pump risks, the FDA asks clinicians to consider the following general strategies. Plan ahead and be ready to respond in the event of a pump failure. Label infusion pump channels and tubing to prevent errors. Check infusion pump settings and monitor patients for signs of over- or under-infusion. Use available resources to prevent and respond to pump problems. Report adverse events promptly to the FDA.
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