Healthcare Informatics

** A Past Article** Avaya recently acquired Nortel’s (NRTLQ.PK) Enterprise Division through a bankruptcy process, and in the process, has uncovered tremendous opportunities in the healthcare sector. Gerard Dass, who is the Director Healthcare Solutions ( Asia Pacific)at Avaya has explained exactly what is occurring and what Avaya is doing to help solve major problems. Presently, there are over 5000 healthcare providers, and they all face a common set of issues. The trend in decreasing operating margins are a huge issue, payments for services are decreasing, the number of patients is increasing, and costs are going up, so they have to increase revenue with the same amount of assets. There is a shortage of employees as well, specifically nurses, and so one solution is to make employees more productive. Studies show that nurses spend 1/3rd of their time on caring for patients while the other 2/3rd’s is for administrative work. Administrative work is a clear example of manual processe...

Overextended staff is the top concern among healthcare IT professionals surveyed recently concerning obstacles to providing better patient care. Avaya's survey found that respondents focused primarily on staff issues. Asked about the biggest challenge healthcare providers currently face, 32 percent cited “overextended clinical staff spending too much time performing non-patient care activities,” followed by "poor or lack of effective communication among staff," and "bottlenecks in patient flow." “We're seeing concerns among healthcare technology professionals about staffing and time being spent away from patients, which greatly impacts patient care and efficiency," said Gerard Dass, Avaya's Asia Pacific healthcare practice leader. "To address these challenges head-on, industry professionals are turning to communications solutions that drive faster and more productive collaboration, which makes all the difference in an industry where every...

While the need to rally teams quickly in your hospital is certainly not new, there are an increasing number of ways to reach the right people when time is of the essence. Although pagers were once the standard for simultaneous communications, now staff can specify a wide range of devices on which they can be contacted. For example, if you have a critical code, such as when a heart attack patient arrives, you probably have to let many people know that they will play a role in the very near future. The Cath Lab, cardiologists, nurses, lab technicians, and more can receive the appropriate message and respond with their availability. This is the key – being able to track responses easily and let alternate staff know if someone can’t make it. All of this can happen using common communications devices and systems such as smartphones, pagers, email, desk phones, and others. Logging all correspondence throughout the process also comes in handy when the Joint Commission asks for audit trails....

1. Know the rules. HIPAA's privacy prohibitions not only protect the disclosure of a patient's name and "individually identifiable health information," but also requires the safeguarding of any information where there is a "reasonable basis to believe it can be used to identify the individual." 2. Develop a social media policy. A social media policy, written in plain language, with clear dos and don'ts, should be established to provide guidance on what is and is not permitted. 3. Training. If physicians are going to use social media, they need to learn the tools, techniques and strategies of social media. An unintentional disclosure of information due to a misunderstanding about how a social network or mobile application works may have the same consequences for a doctor or institution as intentional disclosure. A doctor's staff should also be given training so that they are equally equipped to understand the rules of social media engagement. 4....

Loss of productivity is the top worry for doctors thinking about switching from paper medical records to electronic ones, according to a new survey by the Medical Group Management Association. The online survey drew responses from 4,588 practices, representing about 120,000 physicians. Of practices still using paper records, more than 78 percent feared there would be a "significant" to "very significant" loss of provider productivity during implementation, and two-thirds (67.4 percent) had similar concerns about the loss of physician productivity after the EHR transition period. The practices still using paper medical records described the other significant to very significant barriers to EHR adoption as “insufficient capital resources to invest in an EHR” (71.7 percent) and “insufficient expected return on investment” (56.9 percent). "The EHR incentive program seeks to address implementation costs, a critical barrier to medical groups' adoption of E...

According to a recent survey of U.S. physicians, 61 percent intend to own an iPhone by the end of 2011. This is up from 39 percent at the beginning of the year and compares with the iPhone’s 24.7 percent adoption among general U.S. smartphone users. Aptilon Corporation, a leader in online access to and interaction with HCPs on behalf of pharmaceutical sales and marketing programs, used its ReachNet Physician Access Channel to recruit HCP participation in a survey on mobile technology and convenience options for HCPs. ReachNet provides access to over 450,000 HCPs through multiple channels, including the Internet, email and through mobile and tablet devices. Between February 7 and February 16, 2011, 341 HCPs from throughout the U.S. participated in the survey. The research found that by the end of 2011, 84 percent of U.S. physicians will be using a smartphone; corresponding with Manhattan Research’s forecast of 82 percent smartphone adoption during this same time period. Segmenting s...

With all the efforts underway with EHR, it’s only natural that some efforts will have problems, and those leading the efforts may be replaced. If you’re the new EHR lead, how do you know what to do tomorrow? You walk in to your new office; a withered Ficus tree is leaning awkwardly against the far wall, vestiges of a spider’s web dangle from a dead leaf. You place your yellowed coffee mug on the worn desk, change out of your sneakers, and after rubbing your feet, slip on a pair of black Bruno Magli pumps. The feel of the supple leather relaxes you. You spot the three envelopes that are stacked neatly on the credenza. A hand-written note on Crane stationary reads, “If there is an emergency, open the first envelope”. You place the three envelops in your YSL attaché case, and go about trying to salvage the EHR implementation. Three weeks pass. Things are not going well. You are summoned to meet with the hospital’s COO. After checking your makeup, you retrieve the first enve...

We’ve seen Apple show off medical applications for the iPad in keynotes and commercials, and now we have some news about implementation into large public health facilities. CBC News is reporting that the Ottawa Hospital in Canada recently ordered 1,800 iPads in addition to the 500 that are already being used by health-care providers. The iPads will replace traditional paper medical charts. Staff at the hospital are saying that the shift to iPad usage instead of paper charts is putting the Ottawa Hospital at the forefront of all hospitals in North America. Doctors will be able to examine and show X-rays, make notes and prescribe treatments all with the iPad. Dr. Glen Geiger told CBC News that he could be at a patient’s bedside with an iPad and be able to talk about results directly, thus eliminating lots of extra time and paperwork. All patient information can be carried on iPads as well. Information such as medical histories, injury reports and allergies. Geiger also expressed some...

link to an event i was involved in late last year http://www.ccam.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/23/ccam-national-industry-conference-exhibition-2010/CCAM-Brochure.pdf

**This is an interesting article that I found** While many doctors shy away from use of the Internet because of concern over HIPAA penalties, one company is advising the physician community to not become victim to HIPAA hand-wringing and fall out of sync with their colleagues who have learned how to responsibly utilize today's most valuable online visibility tools. Avvo, the world's largest online directory for doctors and lawyers that provides free rankings for 90 percent of the working physicians in the U.S., offers five tips for physicians who are hesitant, because of perceived HIPAA restrictions, to embrace online and social media marketing. The company, which was founded to service the legal sector, is no stranger to the impact of regulatory issues on the healthcare industry. Avvo is now striving to help doctors, who may be missing valuable networking opportunities because of unnecessary HIPAA fears, to adopt widely accepted, HIPAA-compliant practices for tapping the...

The U.S. e-prescription market is set to reach $204.6 million, according to a new report by market research firm Global Industry Analysts (GIA). The research report titled "E-Prescription Systems: A US & European Market Report" announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides a comprehensive review of the e-prescription systems markets, current market trends, key growth drivers, recent product launches, recent industry activity, and profiles of major/niche market participants. It provides annual sales estimates and projections for e-prescription systems market for the years 2009 through 2017 for the following geographic markets - US and Europe. Key segments analyzed include integrated e-prescription systems, and stand-alone e-prescription systems. The report also analyzes the adoption of e-prescription systems by hospital practice and general practice. Also, a six-year (2003-2008) historic analysis is provided for additional perspective. Major players profiled in the ...

The introduction of a medical check list for the iPhone could be a benefit to providers as mobile technology is quickly being integrated into the care process. Peter Waegemann, vice president of development for the mHealth Initiative, Inc. says so many health professionals have started using smartphones to help administer better care that some say they "don’t know how colleagues manage without them." Official statistics aren't published, "but anecdotal reports confirm that many doctors are using the iPhone at the point of care,” says Waegemann. "There are several hospitals where all doctors are using the iPhone." The iPhone currently has more than 1,000 medical apps aimed at both patients and physicians to better manage health and care. Applications like Safe OR, designed by QxMD, is a mobile checklist designed to increase survival rates during surgery. The application provides a series of checklists to be completed before beginning a surgical procedure. Th...

The vast majority of CIOs responding to the survey conducted in mid-March by the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME) expect their organizations will achieve meaningful use of electronic health records within Stage 1 and get funding under the HITECH portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). A total of 32.5 percent of the 200 CIOs who responded to the survey say they expect to qualify for stimulus funding by September 30, 2011, which marks the first full year of the federal program. An additional 58 percent of CIOs reported that they expect their organizations will qualify during Stage 1, but possibly not until late in federal fiscal years 2012 or 2013. The total of 90 percent who say their organizations will qualify for stimulus funding in federal fiscal years 2011 to 2013, the first years of the stimulus-funding program, has remained fairly consistent with CHIME’s previous two surveys, conducted in August and November of 2010. Adjusting expec...

At a time when patient-centered healthcare seems all the rage, a survey of top healthcare leaders around the world indicates they’re most concerned with implementing technology that allows doctors to communicate with each other. Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group received responses from 96 leaders in 16 countries for its Global Health Leaders Survey. The results were released Wednesday in Washington, D.C., as part of the World Health Congress keynote presentation and a panel discussion titled Ministerial Forum on Global Health Innovation: A Perspective on National Health Opportunities. According to Frances Dare and Kaveh Safavi, director and vice president, respectively, of Cisco’s IBSG Global Healthcare Practice, the survey’s results indicate healthcare leaders view collaboration – rather than cost or access – as the driving force in healthcare delivery. Both said the use of telehealth to develop care teams – doctors collaborating with each other in real time on a patient’s car...

AUSTRALIA'S first and only global health IT player was bought by services giant CSC overnight, in a move that will protect iSoft's intellectual resources and contract revenue. US-based CSC will acquire all outstanding equity of iSoft Group for 17 cents a share in cash, under a court approved scheme of arrangement. The value of the offer has not been confirmed, but may be well below the expected $300 million. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approvals in several countries, should be completed in 2012. CSC said the acquisition would "complement and strengthen" its healthcare integration and services portfolio. ISoft, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, has been under a trading halt and voluntary suspension for more than one week now. The British health IT media had been speculating on its buyout by its long-standing National Health Services contract partner to expand CSC's market share and safeguard the assets in iSoft's web-based platform, L...

Reduced prices and improved quality are boosting the adoption of telemedicine videoconferencing systems, according to a new Frost & Sullivan report titled Visual Collaboration Applications in Healthcare. The practice of telemedicine has been undergoing significant evolution paralleled by technological advancements in the world of videoconferencing, Frost & Sullivan researchers note. These changes open new opportunities for videoconferencing service providers as they continue to address a market that remains highly under-penetrated. Healthcare practitioners are increasingly adopting interactive video or videoconferencing applications for providing enhanced access to healthcare as well as improving the quality of such services at lower prices across the globe, according to the report. "The costs of telemedicine videoconferencing systems and transmission service are not a major barrier to their deployments any more," says Iwona Petruczynik, Frost & Sullivan research ...

RALEIGH, NC – Americans may not be embracing social media as a way to communicate with their providers, but they aren't opposed to using the Internet for more administrative functions such as billing, accessing their records and setting appointments. This is according to a national Capstrat-Public Policy Polling survey, which found that more than five of every six respondents (85 percent) said they would not use social media or instant messaging channels for medical communication if their doctors offered it. Only 11 percent of respondents said they would take advantage of social media such as Twitter or Facebook to communicate with their doctor and 20 percent said they would use chat or instant message. [See also: Social media sites help patients make healthcare decisions.] Even among Millennials (18 to 29 years old), an age group that seems ripe for electronic health communication, the poll found that only 21 percent said they would take advantage of an online forum if offered. Re...

Asian Healthcare Riding the IT Revolution Innovative technologies are improving the quality of healthcare by ensuring speed and reliability of information – critical to saving lives. Gerard Anthony, Leader of Healthcare Solutions at Nortel Asia, believes IT spending is driven by several factors, the most immediate being the need for organizations to upgrade their healthcare services to meet international standards. “There are two goals here – a more efficient system and better quality patient care. It’s efficiency gaining and life saving combined,” said Mr. Anthony. It also makes good business sense. Medical tourism in Thailand now attracts over one million patients per year, with earnings for 2008 forecast at around US$1.2 billion. A conservative estimate for the Asia region – primarily Thailand, India, Malaysia and Singapore – suggests combined revenues of over US$5 billion by 2010. With all of these countries vying for the prized position as a regional ‘healthcare hub’, the incentiv...