Going with the Patient Flow Newsletter
Survey reports almost 40% increase in operational
HIEs
Diana Manos, Healthcare IT News
A survey by eHealth Initiative showed that the number of
operational health information exchange projects rose from 42 in
2008 to 57 this year. The report also noted that 40 of the 57 HIEs
achieved cost savings such as reduced time spent by staff on
managing laboratory and radiology results and fewer drug errors.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/ehealth-inititatives-annual-survey-reports-sharp-increase-data-exchange
Statcom: What Do You Consider The Most Significant
Information Technology Challenge?
Modernhealthcare.com
What do you consider the most significant information technology
challenge facing the healthcare industry today? The most
significant IT challenge is always a direct correlation to the main
operational challenge-how to enable all patients, simultaneously,
to flow at their best possible rate with respect to service times,
quality, safety and resource consumption, across the healthcare
system. This challenge assumes the availability of a hospital
operating system able to track and manage all cross-vertical
patient flow logistics in real-time. Then and only then is an
organization able to reduce waste, errors and unnecessary
cost-achieving breakthrough results in quality, cost and financial
performance.
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20090629/SPONSORED/906269994
In Wake of Critical Report, 45 IT Projects Halted At
VA
Department of Veteran's Affairs
The Veterans Affairs Department has put a hold on 45
information technology projects, the bulk of which are healthcare
IT programs that are either behind schedule or over budget. The
report noted that 37 of the 40 IT projects submitted for the 2009
budget year to the White House Office of Management and Budget were
on the office's "high-risk " list, meaning that the projects "were
both poorly planned and poorly performing." The holds came after
Shinseki ordered a review of all 300 IT programs at the VA and the
implementation of a project management protocol labeled the Program
Management Accountability System. The projects will be reviewed to
find out whether they should be continued.
http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1734
Health Buzz: America's Best Hospitals
Megan Johnson, U.S. News
U.S. News released its annual ranking of America's Best
Hospitals. The rankings of the country's elite medical centers are
a tool for patients who need medical sophistication that most
facilities cannot offer. This year, the 20th for Best Hospitals,
institutions are ranked in 16 specialties, from cancer and heart
disease to respiratory disorders and urology. A total of 4,861
hospitals were considered; 174, or fewer than 0.4 percent of the
total, were ranked in even one of the 16 specialties. Hard data,
such as death rates and numbers of nurses, largely determined 12 of
the 16 specialty rankings.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/best-hospitals/2009/07/17/health-buzz-americas-best-hospitals.html
Duke-Durham Partnership: Informatics Improves
Health
Cynthia Johnson, Health Leaders Media
Medical informatics is playing a significant role in a unique,
newly-launched partnership between Durham-based Duke University and
the Durham, NC, community. The goal of the partnership, known as
Durham Health Innovations (DHI), is to improve the health of
everyone living in Durham County by using medical informatics to
identify interventions for community members whose needs aren't
being met successfully by conventional methods.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/236174/page/1/topic/WS_HLM2_TEC/DukeDurham-Partnership-Informatics-Improves-Health.html
Red Tape Snarls Billians of Healthcare
Dollars
John Commins, Health Leaders Media
Reducing administrative red tape by just 10% could remove as much
as $500 billion annually from the nation's healthcare costs, a
Healthcare Administrative Simplification Coalition report released
today estimates. The report, Bringing Better Value:
Recommendations to Address the Costs and Causes of Administrative
Complexity in the Nation's Healthcare System, issued by the
Healthcare Administrative Simplification Coalition, found that
about 25% of healthcare spending in the United States goes toward
administrative functions. Much of that paperwork is duplicative and
little of it has been standardized.
http://healthplans.hcpro.com/content.cfm?content_id=236168&topic=WS_HLM2_HEP
http://www.simplifyhealthcare.org/index.cfm
Where's the HIT in HCR (Health Care
Reform)?
Bruce Merlin Fried, IHealthBeat.com
If we are to have real healthcare reform, more is required than
what was accomplished in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
of 2009. Congress should establish an advanced research projects
agency for healthcare. ARRA provided incentives for hospitals and
physicians to use EHRs. But that is not enough. The ARRA mechanism
by which physicians will receive their HITECH payments provides no
incentive for care coordination, a primary objective for health
reform. The House's health care reform bill, the so-called
"Tri-Committee bill," includes two pilot programs to advance and
encourage care coordination.
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/Perspectives/2009/Wheres-the-HIT-in-HCR-Health-Care-Reform.aspx
Health Care Professionals Split On New "Meaningful Use"
Definition
Jean DerGurahian, Modern
Healthcare
The new definition of the "meaningful use" of electronic health
records received opposing reviews from health care professionals,
some of whom remain doubtful whether the timetable for health IT
adoption is still achievable. The changes include an accelerated
schedule for permitting real-time access to electronic patient data
and revisions to criteria for computer physician order entry.
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20090717/REG/307179990/1153
Report: Calif. Program Helped Improve Health IT
Adoption
Modern Healthcare
California's pay-for-performance scheme helped boost the use of
e-prescribing, care-management processes and other health IT
systems, according to a report by the Integrated Healthcare
Association. The report also found average clinical performance
improved, but patient experience gains were minimal.
Pay-for-performance programs are "an important step to building a
foundation of accountability, continuous quality improvement and
effective payment reform in health care."
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20090717/REG/307179991/1153
Officials: HIE Project Could Help Wisconsin Save $6B
Annually
Marshfield News-Herald
Wisconsin could save $6 billion in administrative costs and repeat
hospitalizations annually if it completes its plan to adopt a
statewide health information exchange by 2014, state health
officials said. The state, however, could face difficulties in
seeking input and data from health providers in both public and
private sectors who are using various systems, they said.
http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com/article/20090717/MNH0101/907170360/1732&located=RSS
Care Card Technology Improves Health System's Patient
Flow and Waiting Time
Sarah Kearns, Health Leaders Media
The facility was well aware of the long process patients had
to go through to be seen by a physician. In 2006, it implemented
electronic kiosks along with a Care Card to help the registration
process move more efficiently and maintain constant patient flow.
"Modeled in part on successful implementations in both the airline
and hospitality industries, the board and senior management of
Heritage Valley developed a strategic plan for enabling and
promoting greater consumer participation in the healthcare process
through various self-service initiatives," says Robert Swaskoski,
director of enterprise resource systems at HVHS.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/235448/topic/WS_HLM2_TEC/Care-Card-Technology-Improves-Health-Systems-Patient-Flow-and-Waiting-Time.html
Pittsburgh-Hospital and Health System Association Awards
St. Clair Hospital
Advance for Nurses
The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP)
named St. Clair Hospital, Pittsburgh, as a dual winner in HAP's
2009 Achievement Awards Program. The operational excellence entry
was entitled "Improving Patient Flow in the Emergency Department
Using Toyota-Based Methods" and was prepared by David Kish, BSN,
RN, executive director, emergency services and patient logistics.
St. Clair's newly expanded ED has developed a reputation throughout
its service area for treating patients with speed and quality. The
ED is ranked in the top 5 percent of all like-sized EDs in the
nation for patient satisfaction, according to Press Ganey.
http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Article/Pittsburgh-Hospital-and-Healthsystem-Association-Awards-St-Clair-Hospital.aspx
C-Side
Forget Reform, Stay Focused on the Short-Term
Michelle Ponte, Health Leaders Media
Forget about reform for a moment. There are numerous other
issues more likely to affect hospital profitability in the
near-term than a reform bill, such as Medicare inpatient payment
rate updates and the decline in hospital credit ratings. In this
week's Finance forum, Scott Clay, senior principal at Noblis Health
Innovation, points out that with Medicare being the single, largest
payer to hospitals, any rate change, especially in inpatient
payments, can significantly affect revenue.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/236159/topic/WS_HLM2_FIN/Forget-Reform-Stay-Focused-on-the-ShortTerm.html
What to Do if Your CEO Gets the Ax
Philip Betbeze, Health Leaders Media
As a member of the senior leadership team, what happens to you if
your CEO gets canned? During these tough economic times, many
competent hardworking people have been laid off. It's likely you
know some at your company or organization who have gotten the ax
simply by being in the wrong place at a time of severe budget
constraints. But what I'm writing about today can happen regardless
of the economic climate.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/236437/topic/WS_HLM2_LED/What-to-Do-if-Your-CEO-Gets-the-Ax.html
HC4HR: Lowering Cost While Improving Patient
Care
New America Foundation
Gary Kaplan, MD, chairman and CEO of the Virginia Mason Medical
Center, says that nearly half of the $2.6 trillion spent on
healthcare in the U.S. is waste. Kaplan and other healthcare CEOs
sound off on reform in a blog series titled Health CEOs for Health
Reform, sponsored by The New America Foundation, a nonprofit public
policy think tank. Since 2002, Virginia Mason has saved $11 million
following the implementation of a program to lower costs and
improve quality. Kaplan also says part of this success comes from
area employers challenging the system to do better.
http://www.newamerica.net/blog/new-health-dialogue/2009/hc4hr-lowering-cost-while-improving-patient-care-13208
One-on-One With Norton Healthcare VP & CIO Joseph
DeVenuto, Part IHealthcare Informatics
In this interview, Norton Healthcare Vice President and CIO Joseph
DeVenuto stressed the importance and benefits of streamlining all
patient information systems in the five hospitals under the
Kentucky-based health care system. Implementing a common Message
Passing Interface allowed hospitals under Norton Healthcare to
track inpatient visits, outpatient procedures and other activities
of their patients, said DeVenuto.
http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=68D0DD7E13AE47F9BEA9421D69253375