Going with the Patient Flow Newsletter
StatCom Launches Industry's First Hospital Operating
System
Eric Wicklund, Healthcare IT News
Hospitals don't always know where their patients are-a situation
that can prove costly in both financial and clinical terms. With
that in mind, StatCom has launched a technology platform designed
to give providers a complete view of the patient from admission to
discharge. The Hospital Operating System, launched by the
Atlanta-based subsidiary of Jackson Healthcare, "is the missing
gear that will keep everything in the hospital running smoothly,"
said Bob Schlotman, the company's vice president of marketing. "The
StatCom solution is a huge step forward in helping Mercy Health
Partners (MHP) facilities, such as Mercy St. Vincent Medical
Center, improve patient flow and reduce inherent delays in the
patient care process," said Samantha M. Platzke, senior vice
president and chief financial and transformation officer with MHP.
"Mercy St. Vincent has reduced their average length of stay by 14%
and their direct expenses by $8.6 million in just 12 months."
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/statcom-launches-its-hospital-operating-system
Hospital CEOs Manage Staff Time, Inventory to Cut
Costs
Del Jones, USA TODAY
Each of the nation's 5,700 hospitals must cut $2.6 million a year
on average in costs in the next 10 years to meet the demands of
President Obama's proposed health care reform, a daunting task when
half of those hospitals lose money. Criticism came from almost
every corner leading up to Obama's speech before Congress on
Wednesday night, yet many hospital CEOs aren't complaining, at
least not publicly. They say that the hospitals they run are rife
with inefficiency and that they are optimistic that the $155
billion in savings is do-able with the help of business
disciplines, such as the Toyota Production System, lean
manufacturing and Six Sigma.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-09-09-saving-money-hospitals_N.htm?POE=click-refer
CMS Provides EHR Funding Guidance to
States
CMIO
The Center for Medicaid and State Operations of the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has sent a letter to state
Medicaid directors providing guidance on Section 4201of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which established a
payment program for providers that become meaningful users of EHRs.
The ARRA amends the Medicaid Act to provide for 100 percent
reimbursement of Medicaid incentive payments for providers to
encourage them to purchase, implement and operate EHR
technology.
http://www.cmio.net/index.php?option=com_articles&view=article&id=18648
Report: Health IT Market Likely to See Disruptive
Change
Roy Mark, eweek.com
The U.S. health IT market is likely to experience a "disruptive
change" driven by the rising population of baby boomers who are
seeking Medicare and Medicaid coverage and the need for innovative
health IT systems that also can cut costs as mandated by ARRA and a
national health care bill, according a report by Input. But the
market could pose a vast array of opportunities to vendors,
especially to firms that offer decision support automation, data
warehousing and data mining tools, among others, said Tim Dowd,
Input's chief executive. eWEEK.com
http://www.smartbrief.com/news/ehealth/storyComments.jsp?issueid=97E41F5A-CCB6-424E-9C99-74C0AE24C9E2©id=9199B6D4-BEB4-456C-81BA-19EE0447DCE6
Report: Medical Automation Technologies Market to Reach
$23B By 2014
CMIO
The U.S. market for medical automation technologies is worth about
$13.1 billion in 2009, and is expected to reach $23.2 billion in
2014, demonstrating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2
percent, according to a market research report from BCC Research.
Major end-user segments for automated medical technologies include
hospitals, stand-alone outpatient surgical centers, physician
practices, pharmacies and other retail establishments, home-care
recipients, the military, medical research institutes, clinical
labs, medical schools and other training programs, the firm
said.
http://www.cmio.net/index.php?option=com_articles&view=article&id=18725
Blumenthal Calls for More Study on Uses of Health
IT
Mary Mosquera, Government Health IT
Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health information
technology, recommended more research on the applications and
impact of health IT, saying it will lead to more efficient use of
the technology and allow providers to put their systems into
practice. Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, echoed Blumenthal by saying that additional
documentation will be essential in the adoption of health IT under
the stimulus plan.
http://www.govhealthit.com/newsitem.aspx?nid=72096
Nine Health Leaders Respond to Obama's Health Reform
Speech
Les Masterson, HealthLeaders Media
In an attempt to guide the healthcare debate that has veered off
the tracks in recent weeks, President Barack Obama spoke to a joint
session of Congress about a comprehensive health reform bill. The
45-minute speech was Obama's first in-depth national speech about
healthcare reform after spending the past few months on the
sidelines as Congress worked on multiple reform proposals. So,
after finally hearing directly from the president, what do health
leaders think? Here are thoughts from nine health leaders.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/238717/topic/WS_HLM2_LED/Nine-Health-Leaders-Respond-to-Obamas-Health-Reform-Speech.html
Tech Companies Push to Digitize Patients'
Records
Steve Lohr, The New York Times
Even as the Obama administration and Congress struggle with broad
health policy legislation, the technology industry is pursuing the
opportunity in digital health records as never before. Dell, the
personal computer maker, plans to join the scramble in earnest,
announcing its plan to form a partnership with hospital groups
around the country to offer electronic health records-hardware,
software, consulting services and financing-to their affiliated
physicians.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/technology/10records.html?_r=1
Poll: Most Doctors Favor Public Option
Mix
UPI.com
Sixty-three percent of U.S. physicians support health reform that
includes both a public option and traditional private insurance, a
survey indicates. The survey, conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, also found another 10 percent of the doctors support an
entirely public health system, therefore, nearly three out of four
physicians nationwide support inclusion of a public option. The
survey of 2,130 physicians, published in the New England Journal of
Medicine, says 27 percent support a private-only option that would
provide subsidies for low-income individuals to purchase private
insurance.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/09/15/Poll-Most-doctors-favor-public-option-mix/UPI-50251252988349/
Unions' Merger Creates Daunting Adversary for
Hospitals
John Commins, HealthLeaders Media
Healthcare news was made outside of the Beltway recently with the
auspicious announcement that three of the nation's largest nurses
unions-California Nurses Association/National Nurses organizing
Committee, United American Nurses, and Massachusetts Nurses
Association-would merge and form the nation's largest registered
nurses union. The newly named National Nurses United will have
150,000 members. The merger had long been in the works, but that
did nothing to quell the bald-faced glee of labor advocates
salivating over the organizing potential for the new, well-funded,
well-organized union.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/238572/topic/WS_HLM2_HR/Unions-Merger-Creates-Daunting-Adversary-for-Hospitals.html
Physicians' Personalities and Job Satisfaction:
A Preliminary Analysis of an Extended Physician
Survey
Jackson & Coker
Are there discernible personality traits associated with different
physician specialists? If so, what are the key traits that are
descriptors of, for example, Anesthesiologists compared to
Internists or Psychiatrists? Based on personality type, what
appropriate roles can doctors serve in most effectively in their
clinical setting? Jackson & Coker invited physicians in major
medical specialties to complete an online personality assessment.
The survey results displayed significant differences in respondents
based on gender and age. An in-depth white paper, "Outline of
Significant Differences," is available.
http://www.jacksoncoker.com/physician-career-resources/newsletters/2009-july.aspx
On the C-Side
CIOs Step Up to Take on Decision Making Roles:
Report
IBM report
Chief information officers are more involved in strategic decision
making as they continue to balance information technology needs for
their organizations, according to a survey by IBM Corp.
IBM report. More than half of a CIO's time is spent on activities
that focus on innovation, such as motivating others to participate
in innovative plans and managing nontechnology business issues, IBM
said in its report. Balancing the company's current technology
needs with cost-cutting methods and new implementation plans remain
key factors of the executive position as well.
http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/cio/
20 Most Common Employer Mistakes That Could Cost Your
Hospital
John Commins, HealthLeaders Media
Employment discrimination lawsuits have doubled in the last 10
years, thanks in large part to provisions of the 1991 Civil Rights
Act that give juries a say in financial settlements. So what can
you do to reduce your potential liability? Michael D. Malfitano, an
attorney with Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP (CBS), and fellow
CBS attorney Cherie L. Silberman have identified the 20 most common
mistakes that can come back to bite employers when a jury sets its
teeth. Take a look, and give your workplace an honest appraisal and
see how many snafus you recognize.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/238779/topic/WS_HLM2_HR/20-Most-Common-Employer-Mistakes-That-Could-Cost-Your-Hospital.html
Hang On
Carrie Vaughan, HealthLeaders Media
Talk of change in healthcare is dirt cheap these days. So many
views of what the future in healthcare may hold come out in a
single day, only to vanish before sunset. The industry is finally
and deservedly finding itself under intense societal scrutiny, but
it's hard to hear any wisdom through the shouting. What if the
biggest change of all is that healthcare is "fundamentally"
changing. Do the old rules about consolidation still matter? What
if a public health plan is more than a political bargaining chip
but the biggest game changer since Medicaid? Is your strategic and
financial planning fast enough? If the marching order was "grow" in
2005-2007, "manage" in 2008-2009, are you ready for "risk" in
2010?
http://healthleadersmedia.com/content/237353/topic/WS_HLM2_MAG/Hang-On.html