By: Donna Carroll Editor - The MEDITECH Community Bulletin VP, Business Development & Recruitment - Systems Personnel
Welcome to the latest issue of The MEDITECH Community Bulletin. Below are just a few of the items found in this month's newsletter:
Dr. Jared Ament from UMass Memorial Medical Center shares information about Structured Data and the Future of Medical Reporting in this month’s Guest Spot column.
Our Customer Spotlight this month illuminates how two different MEDITECH customers are addressing some of their challenges: 1) HealthPoint Rehab has successfully implemented and integrated Chart Links with Southeast Missouri Hospital’s MEDITECH system; 2) The Credit Valley Hospital meets Canadian Health Standards with the help of Boston Software Systems.
The Industry Spotlight shares some Post-Conference MUSEings. Several people contributed their feedback on the 2010 International MUSE Conference held last month.
This issue’s Vendor Spotlight column shows how Iatric Systems reaches out to those in the MEDITECH community who were unable to attend International MUSE.
In this month’s Tricks of the Trade column, John Sharpe of Comstock Software explains how to Modify Client Server Select Screens using Edit Blocks.
Our Featured Employer column this issue describes DrFirst and its current openings for a 3 different professionals in their Hospital Services Group.
There are numerous press releases in this issue’s Recent News section.
All information and content for the September 2010 issue of The MEDITECH Community Bulletin must be received no later than Thursday, August 26th. Thank you.
Enjoy the rest of the summer! Donna
Guest Spot: Structured Data and the Future of Medical Reporting
By: Dr. Jared Ament, MD, MPH
Tomorrow's advances in medicine arrive on the back of today's medical research - by comparing the outcomes of alternative treatments, we're able to discern the best course of action for our patients. This is one of the most basic tenets of medical research. Pulling vital information from various tests and individual cases allows physicians to better understand the various maladies afflicting their patients and therefore enables more informed decisions when choosing the best course of treatment. In surgery, the main focus of modern medical research has been looking at surgical outcomes – measuring desired operative objectives with how those objectives are met following the procedure. As Dr. Véd Tandan of St. Joseph’s defines the field, outcomes research is “a paradigm which groups existing methodologies, providing a structured approach to evaluating the outcomes which are most important to patients, society and those who pay for health care.”
Surgeons and researchers are mostly deriving their data from test results, vitals and other pre- and postoperative sources. But is this the best source for this information? Are physicians leaving out crucial parts of the story when they aren’t able to extract and examine data from all elements of the surgical process? As Dr. Richard Moser, Chief of Neurosurgery at UMass Memorial, said, physicians
"want to be able to do great surgical outcomes research and yet the most important information that we collect, as surgeons, is in the operating room. In its current format, that information is simply not recordable in an efficient, contemporaneous manner; and when it is recorded, it takes an enormous team and significant resources to manually extract the data from transcribed dictations."
Make no mistake - data can still be taken from transcribed postoperative reports. However, data abstraction is not an easy process. It necessitates many hours of manpower, or money for phrase/word recognition software or both. It’s labor and cost prohibitive. Dictation made sense – it still does an adequate job of capturing the procedure. However, in the information age where data is the basis for incredibly important decisions, an “adequate job” is no longer acceptable.
Surgeons need to enter their postoperative reports in a format that promotes “structured data” – by which I mean information entered into specific, discrete fields with a range of acceptable responses. Currently, most dictated postoperative reports are in an unstructured data format – there’s important information in the report, but it’s buried in narrative. In the era of cost-effectiveness and a contracting economy, it is simply not feasible for most institutions to have the resources for extracting data from operative reports. There’s a wealth of knowledge being collected on a daily basis in operating rooms and, unless there are specific research protocols in place to collect that data, it is often lost to medical records in very eloquent, and sometimes verbose, prose.
The current process of dictation and transcription is really personal – I know many surgeons love it. They want to articulate their case in a way that is understandable and complete for them. Five years after a surgery and a quick perusal over the note should allow for complete comprehension. In truth, that is a positive.
The problem is what happens with the dictated report. First, it’s transcribed, usually off site; usually the job is pretty good, sometimes there are mistakes; there’s a delay, they have to get back to you, you have to look over the final product and sign off on it. The report is then available to physicians in a format – depending on the system at a particular institution – that is viewable and printable. With respect to data extraction and outcomes reporting, there is nothing substantive to be accomplished. I don’t think dictation is a bad concept. It made a lot of sense because surgeons are great narrators: we’re trained to present and report cases in coherent, logical and eloquent ways.
There seems to be one answer to access the research potential contained in the surgical reports to power medical innovation – and that is for surgeons to start using electronic postoperative reporting solutions. In contrast with synoptic reports that are entered electronically, transcribed operative reports require several more steps, more approval time, is processed and re-processed and exported into unusable formats. The propensity for error is always greater when more steps are involved.
The Division of Neurosurgery at UMass Memorial Medical Center (where I work), under the guidance of Dr. Moser, has embarked on an outcomes project using mTuitive OpNote to record specific operative details to trace patient outcomes for comparison against stated surgical objectives. Variations in procedure types, operative techniques and surgical implants will be followed to measure effectiveness.
mTuitive OpNote offers surgeons a “one-stop-shop” report where we could:
1. collect data which would satisfy medical-legal reporting requirements; and
2. could serve as an operative note in the patient’s record; but also
3. could be in a format that was easily exportable, searchable and readily manipulated for any number of outcome parameters and measures
And that is why we have put the full force of the neurosurgery department and UMass Memorial Health behind this endeavor – it just makes sense.
To clarify, there are other electronic postoperative reporting products out there – but unless the solutions adhere to using structured data, as opposed to just “canned” text, then the problems inherent in narrative data submission will remain. Synoptic reporting (the type of reports mTuitive OpNote generates) makes surgical information readily usable for sophisticated database applications. This means that physicians and researchers now have searchable fields and sections that can be gathered and studied for quality reporting measures, disease registries and research repositories – like the surgical outcomes project at UMass Memorial.
As government funding increases for institutions to adopt EHRs, and as more companies emerge to offer various products for healthcare, it’s important that health facilities make sure the solution they select meets the needs of those using it. Hospital administration and physicians both need to be on board in order for this project to work. It needs to make sense from a financial standpoint, but it cannot penalize the surgeon’s time. It needs to require a minimum amount of adjustment for physicians. The electronic reporting process has to be integrated into surgeons’ pre-existing workflow without the need for acquiring (expensive) specially designated hardware or without having to spend hours being trained on using the new solution – hours that would be better spent treating patients.
For example, since OpNote is priced less than the cost of transcription, it eliminates the cost associated with transcription while accelerating the revenue cycle for the surgery center, hospital and surgeon all without requiring any initial investment or special hardware. This should please the administration and those concerned with budgetary issues.
And because it is web-based, reporting delays that plague medical records departments are eliminated since the report is submitted and signed-out immediately upon completion, easily integrating with our current Meditech™ system. Thereby appeasing those in medical records by making their jobs faster and easier – especially for those in billing and coding who won’t have to hunt for substantive information in long paragraphs of text.
Lastly, OpNote is optimized for use on tablets and touch screen devices – including the iPhone™ and iPad™ - which allows for greater mobility and flexibility for physicians to generate and complete their postoperative reports. Electronic medical reporting offers a lot of benefits to many people – not the least of which is the patient. By improving how the data is captured, we are improving how data can be looked at and ultimately improving how that data can be used.
The current system of dictation and transcription does a fine job – it captures what happened during the surgery in great detail for posterity and the patient’s record. Unfortunately, we have arrived at a moment in time where “fine job” can no longer cut it for any of us. The labyrinthine narrative that is produced in transcription impedes any real progress in medical research and hinders physicians from being able to learn the best way to treat their patients. Structured data allows physicians to examine and formulate best practices with greater accuracy – tracking the minute changes between methods of doing the same procedure opens up worlds of possibilities for creating standardized ways of ensuring the best possible outcomes for all of our patients. By making reporting more efficient, we make research easier and faster which, in turn, makes us all better physicians that can offer our patients the best care.
[1] Int Surg. 2000 Oct-Dec;85(4):313-6. Tandan, VR
Dr. Jared D. Ament recently completed clinical research fellowships at Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) and at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (UMass) in surgical outcomes. He has worked with Dr. Dohlman (MEEI) and Dr. Black (Brigham and Women’s Hospital) for 3 years now and with Dr. Richard Moser (UMass) for the last year. His MD is from the Medical School for International Health, a collaborative initiative between Ben-Gurion and Columbia Universities. His MPH is from the Harvard School of Public Health. He is adjunct faculty at Harvard Medical School’s department of Population Health and Epidemiology and has specific interests in cost-effectiveness research, international surgery, surgical outcomes, and medical education. He is currently a surgical resident at UMass.
Customer Spotlight: Southeast Missouri Hospital Implements Outpatient Rehab EMR that Interfaces with MEDITECH
HealthPoint Rehab, a service of Southeast Missouri Hospital, comprises two outpatient rehabilitation centers located in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, Missouri. Combined, the centers employ 25 therapists engaged in physical, occupational, speech and specialty therapies including orthopedic, neurological, myofascial and lymphedema. The two centers handle about 33,600 total patient visits annually.
With interfaces to MEDITECH for ADT, billing and results, Chart Links was the EMR vendor of choice for Southeast Missouri Hospital's HealthPoint Rehab to realize more confidence in its outpatient documentation compliance, increased efficiencies in information management and greater insight into its business operations.
An EMR Built for Rehabilitation
CHALLENGE
In response to industry trends and internal business objectives, HealthPoint Rehab wanted to transition from paper-based to electronic medical records.
SOLUTION
Chart Links accommodates the documentation challenges associated with HealthPoint’s multi-discipline therapy services and interfaces with its MEDITECH hospital information system.
RESULTS
HealthPoint has realized increased efficiencies in information management, greater insight into its business operations and more confidence in its documentation compliance.
Realizing the inexorable trend toward electronic medical records, the HealthPoint management team decided to abandon its paper-based system and make a comprehensive search for an advanced electronic solution.
“We knew the need for EMR was coming,” said Andrea Marchi, PT, MBA, CSCS, HealthPoint rehab manager. “We wanted to get ahead of the curve and have plenty of time to make the right decision. That’s when we began a search that led us to Chart Links – a choice we couldn’t be happier with.”
Chart Links offered a product customizable to HealthPoint’s suite of multi-discipline therapeutic services. “We needed a system that could effectively address and document our many different specialty areas and Chart Links was the only one that had this capability.”
A Compliant Documentation Process
Chart Links Rehabilitation Software is driven by major accreditation, professional, information technology and security standards. It supports compliance with JCAHO, CARF, AOTA, APTA, HIPAA and other rehabilitation professional standards. The system's documentation helps ensure compliance with Medicare Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) Edits, modifiers and time tracking.
Marchi feels more at ease with proper documentation compliance. “Our compliance is virtually guaranteed because, in a progress note or evaluation section, Chart Links prompts for JCAHO and Medicare documentation in a way that you cannot miss or ignore.” Unlike paper forms unable to force standards compliance, Chart Links' electronic forms do not accept signatures without fulfillment of all required standards.
Better Business Decisions with Analytics
Chart Links Analytics allows managers to make informed business decisions through a simple-to-use ad hoc analysis interface that can analyze practice trends, develop universal metrics, measure long-term changes, and gather operational decision-support data.
“What could be a monumental task, taking weeks to accomplish by having to manually track and assemble mountains of data now is as simple as jumping into the system, defining your parameters and – click – up comes the data,” said Marchi. “It’s easy to read and understand. You don’t need any assistance from IT to make this happen. Chart Links Analytics is simply awesome.”
HealthPoint uses Chart Links Analytics for generating statistics for its annual report and as a basis to make good business decisions. Analytics allows HealthPoint, for example, to analyze visits (by location, by therapist, by time-period, etc.), dissect referrals, or scrutinize cancellation rates. “Chart Links Analytics helps us to stay ahead of the game, so we can make better decisions and not be reactive to what has already happened,” observed Marchi.
Routine Tasks Greatly Improved
HealthPoint used to spend a significant amount of time physically tracking patients’ charts. “Previously, with our paper-based system, you never knew where a patient’s chart might be located,” said Marchi. “Four or five staff members could easily be handling a particular chart in one day. With Chart Links, anyone, anytime can get into the system and see what they need to see, when they need to see it. This has been a huge time savings for us.”
Marchi also cites the user-friendly Chart Links scheduler as a key benefit. She notes that you can see all you need to see on one screen. Users can sort information by discipline or selected providers, or take a patient and click and copy for 15 visits instead of making 15 individual appointments. “The front desk has nothing but good things to say about the Chart Links scheduler,” remarked Marchi.
Chart Links Customer Service as Outstanding as its Technology
HealthPoint has found that the Chart Links solution extends into exceptional customer service. “The customer service we have received has been fantastic,” said Marchi. “There was no sense that, once we went live, ‘you’re on your own.’ Chart Links doesn’t operate that way. They don’t put limits on customer service. We feel we can call on them anytime. Chart Links consistently delivers on all counts.”
To learn more about Chart Links, visit them online at www.chartlinks.com.
Customer Spotlight: Dictionary Updates Support Canadian Health Standards
The Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, Ontario (Canada), has been actively using Boston Software Systems’ automation technology, Boston WorkStation™, to streamline a variety of workflows for the past seven years. As a result, the hospital has greatly improved its registration processes, saving time, increasing accuracy and revenue recovery, and ultimately, improving patient care.
Due to changes from the Standards Information Systems in Canadian Health Service Organizations (MIS Standards), the revision of laboratory workload units is required across more than 3,000 dictionary entries in the Laboratory, Microbiology, Blood Bank and Pathology modules’ dictionaries. The Credit Valley Hospital chose to tackle this massive update using Boston Software System’s UNISON™. UNISON is a standalone application for hospitals using MEDITECH information systems, which simplifies the development of dictionary synchronization, and can schedule the sync to occur regularly without human intervention.
Arnelle Martins, application analyst at The Credit Valley Hospital, was asked to update the lab data dictionaries for this initiative. Normally, staff would spend weeks manually synchronizing thousands of data points in multiple dictionaries. Although she didn’t have a lot of time to spend on training for UNISON, Martins found the application to be surprisingly intuitive.
UNISON’s set-up wizard allowed her to select specific data required from the test dictionary, and then walked her through the process of updating her records into the live dictionary of each module, taking into account its specific requirements.
Martins found the Boston Software Systems support team was also ready to help. “The people at Boston Software Systems are exceptional.” said Martins. “I had never had any training, yet I was able to quickly understand UNISON thanks to the support team.”
As a result of using UNISON, Martins finds she not only quickly performs massive one-time dictionary updates, but she also now finds regular dictionary maintenance is much faster and easier. “It took me two months to gather all the requirements, build the syncronizations, then go live and verify the results. But it would have taken a total of more than 300 hours of staff time just to perform the updates manually,” added Martins. “In addition to completing the job quickly and easily, I learned a new technology in the process – one which I will be able to continuously use and from which the hospital will benefit tremendously.”
To learn more about The Credit Valley Hospital, visit them online at www.cvh.on.ca.
For more information about UNISON for Meditech dictionaries or other automation tools from Boston Software Systems, visit www.bostonworkstation.com or call 866.653.5105.
Industry Spotlight: Post-Conference MUSEings
What did attendees of the 2010 International MUSE Conference think?
By: Donna Carroll, Editor
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the 2010 International MUSE Conference which was held June 1-4 in Dallas. So, I was very curious to hear what those who did attend had to say. I polled several people for their feedback, and below are some of the comments I received (shared with their permission, of course). Thank you to all who contributed their thoughts!
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
Seeing how others are preparing for ARRA/Meaningful Use. Visiting the vendors and seeing how they are addressing Patient and Physician Portal solutions and preparing for Hi-Tech.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
Good. Having more panel discussion type events was very helpful. The AV room set up was great, not to mention the CyberCafe and the Presenter’s staging area.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
CIO Forum was excellent.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
I know that physical layout is different from site to site, but I really like it when we can have the Vendor Hall next to the general session area or where we all gather for meals. I was pressed for time, so sadly enough, didn’t have the luxury of participating for the entire week. If I had, I’m sure my impressions would have been more valuable.
- Max Mortensen, Sinai Health System
Overall Thoughts:
The most valuable presentation I saw was pertaining to tracking data on claims that pulled for a RAC Audit. It seems that several facilities have purchased software to track the data when it can easily be tracked within the UR section of the ABS module by utilizing a Customer Defined Screen. Kimberly Scaccia did an excellent presentation of this. I also thought the presentation on implementing ICD-10 codes was very helpful in letting customers know all of the changes that are yet to come and how to deal with them. I was baffled at how extensive these changes are going to be and how they're going to impact AR for both hospitals and private practices.
- Regina Davison, Murray-Calloway County Hospital
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
The conference was great for Array and probably others who had favorable booth space and thus realized high traffic; but I did speak with several vendors in the back who didn’t share my enthusiasm.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
As you are aware, the overall conference experience in recent years has been weak – attendance has been low and the number of conferences (Regional-like) has dropped from 8 to 2-3. With that as a backdrop, our expectations were also low, particularly after Vancouver, and we’ve had to adjust both expectations and goals.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
In the past, our goals have revolved around meetings with existing and prospective clients which would hopefully uncover sales opportunities. We’ve also traditionally held user group meetings/cocktail parties to re-enforce existing relationships. At this conference we were more oriented to learning about the new 6.0 world and identifying marketing opportunities for both Array. We also took advantage of a new opportunity to schedule/conduct product demos that would be advertised on the conference schedule. This session (on Wednesday afternoon) in turn drove people to our booth. We also did a fair amount of pre-conference promotion to both existing and prospective clients.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
So, in summary, with appropriate (and tempered) expectations, together with having a favorable booth location, an opportunity to demo our newest products, and a fair amount of pre-conference marketing, we walked away with far more sales opportunities than we expected. But the real value was in learning more about 6.0 and identifying (through the help of 6.0 users) a few opportunities for our StreamTask product.
- Ted Molloy, Array Software
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
Networking with peers and attending some useful presentations.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
I felt that the quality of the presentations was not what it could have been. A lot of generalities in some of the presentations and not a whole lot of the nuts and bolts of how to do things.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
Probably the most valuable one was on how drug names work in various modules. The rest that I attended did not present a whole lot of new information. I consider myself a pretty sophisticated user and a lot of the information was too basic. Also, at the pharmacy peer group meeting, there was not a whole lot of roundtable discussion, whereas in previous years there was.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
I feel that perhaps there should be a peer review process of all presentations far enough in advance of the conference to determine if they really warrant a time slot. I would say that at least half of the presentations that I attended were a waste of my time.
Overall Thoughts:
The MUSE conference just isn’t what it used to be. When MEDITECH stopped participating, I saw a definite decline. Plus, it is difficult to get members to do presentations. I bet half of the presentations were done by vendors, and some of those weren’t too good. I sure wouldn’t want those people as my consultants; I knew more than what a lot of them knew.
- ANONYMOUS
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
Networking.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
Having actual physicians as the presenters was a great success.. It was so beneficial to hear their input in regard to POM.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
Pharmacy Rules and Physician Summit.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
To have the users to post their conferences on the web sooner.
- Moshgan Jones, Nathan Littauer Hospital
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
Making contacts. Meeting clients face to face.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
I do not believe as good. The location was wonderful, of course. Board members not as visible or upbeat.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
I only attended one besides mine.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
Their online schedule was not easy to use or follow. It was like a last minute addition...odd.
- Debe Wroble, CSC
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
I learned from other facilities how they're operating with the Scanning and Archiving module. This was very beneficial to me, and to the organization as it let us know how we need to proceed going forward.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
I hadn't been to MUSE in quite a few years. A recent position change however made this conference again very beneficial to me. I always enjoy these conferences and come away with a wealth of information and contacts.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
The presentations on Scanning and Archiving were quite valuable, but I also attended an ABS presentation that proved to be more valuable than I had anticipated.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
If they aren't already doing so, maybe monitoring the L-List to find what the hottest topics are, and then finding users who are doing it well, to give presentations. Opening up for people to volunteer is wonderful, and should continue, but sometimes the needed information doesn't come across because the person isn't really a presenter. Sometimes people who can present well, don't volunteer. Maybe having the presenters video themselves giving 10 or 15 minutes of the presentation would help before determining who will present.
- Jeri Belcher, Sierra View District Hospital
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
We receive useful information on HITECH /ARRA and what MEDITECH is doing to help prepare for it. I also got some great ideas that will give us some additional methods for compliance. We also got some valuable information on BMV which we decided to bring online after we went facility-wide with PWM/PDOC (CPOE and Physician Documentation). We will be going live with BMV by the end of the year.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
I am unsure as this was my first International MUSE to participate in. However, based on the information, I will definitely look to go back and get more involved with MUSE.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
The CIO Executive Institute; Achieving Stage 7 with MEDITECH; Google Health; Bar Coding Medication Administration Difficulties and Successes.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
I would love to see something given to the attendees that shares other facilities that are: 1) in their same graphical region; 2) that meet #1 and are on the same platform as them; and 3) what modules each of those sites are using.
For Example: 1) All sites in Texas; 2) Sites in Texas with Client Server; 3) North Cypress utilizes POM, ITS, ADM, SCA, etc. A directory of such information would greatly help me when we are looking to reach out with some questions or engage a site about sharing experiences etc.
- Peter Miessner, North Cypress Medical Center
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
We were able to connect with some clients that we do not get to see on a regular basis.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
There appeared to be greater discussions and sharing of ideas surrounding meaningful use.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
Reduce the presentation time at lunch to allow for more discussions at the table.
- ANONYMOUS
What specific benefits did you/your organization realize as a result of attending the conference?
This was ICA’s first MUSE conference and we were extremely impressed with the educational opportunities, the appreciative nature of the attendees towards the vendor sponsors, the traffic in our booth, and the interaction of the vendors on the floor. I have been in the HIT business for a long time, attended many conferences and I can say that this group of conference planners and attendees has to be the friendliest and most engaging group of people I’ve ever met at a conference. I also provided a class about clinical information system implementation success elements and the room was full, attention was paid and people stayed to the very end of the class even though we were the only thing standing between them and the reception. I was very impressed with the amount of marketing benefit we got for the dollar – right down to the logo napkins at breakfast and lunch.
Overall, how did this year’s conference compare with prior years’ conferences?
This was our first MUSE conference.
In your opinion, what were the most valuable workshops, presentations, or events you attended during the conference?
As a vendor, breakfast and lunch were our best opportunities to hear and share ideas about HIT, changes in the marketing, innovations each participant was using in their own setting. The specific training events were not necessarily relevant to us as vendors – but the feedback I received from the attendees I talked to was that they were extremely valuable to each of them.
What recommendations would you make to the organizers which could help improve future conferences?
I’d be hard pressed to recommend anything as a participant. The only recommendations I’ve made as a vendor sponsor was to have at least some exhibit time when there were no classes and to include at least a half-hour break on the exhibit floor during the day (they were some long days).
- John W. Tempesco, Informatics Corporation of America
Vendor Spotlight: Iatric Systems Offers Post-Conference Webcasts
For a complete listing of Iatric Systems' upcoming webcasts, visit them online at www.iatric.com.
Tricks of the Trade: MEDITECH NPR (Client Server 5.6) – Modifying CS Select Screens Using Edit Blocks
RL (range list), the select operator in MEDITECH NPR, is changing in CS 5.6.
Configuring a date range using RL before 5.6 required a field (admit.date), the operator (RL), and the prompt (Admit Date). Execute the report and you’d see something like this:
The same process in CS 5.6 produces the unexpected result below:
Fortunately, the NPR Select Screen is malleable using Edit Blocks. Those familiar with Process Reports Option 8, will notice differences in the CS 5.6 workflow that follows.
First, change the Prompt in Sorts / Selects to <:>, like this:
"8. Edit Picture" is now "8. Edit Blocks". Edit Blocks is a graphical interface you’ll be using to position and add text to your Select Screen Elements.
To narrow your select block: a) Enter N at the Extend Block Row to End prompt b) Enter Y at the Headers prompt c) Enter Admit Date and 1 as follows
d) Enter the smallest possible Block Width value, key F9 for a list of possible widths, 33 happens to be the logical choice here
e) Key F12 twice, then: File and Translate
Run the report, and you’ll see the functionality we’re looking for.
You might be saying to yourself: this is going to require a different way of thinking, and I think you’re right.
John Sharpe is President / NPR Consultant at Comstock Software, Inc. Learn more about NPR Report Writing at the MEDITECH NPR Report Writing Blog.
Featured Employer: Sponsored by MeditechCareers.com
The online career hub for MEDITECH professionals
Every month, we feature one employer who has advertised their job posting on our affiliate web site: MeditechCareers.com. In addition to the basic job posting, we provide some information about the employer, their location and environment, and highlight them as a "Featured Employer" in this newsletter.
To advertise your MEDITECH-related opportunity on MeditechCareers.com and become a "Featured Employer", contact Donna Carroll at 413-569-1111.
DrFirst Rockville, Maryland
About the Organization:
Founded in 2000, DrFirst's flagship product, Rcopia, is the nation's leading full-featured stand-alone electronic prescription management system. DrFirst understands that healthcare is an interconnected environment between physician practices, IPAs, hospitals, health plans, pharmacies and others. DrFirst provides continuity-of-care solutions that deliver unique benefits to each type of association while achieving overall benefits for healthcare.
DrFirst is an established partner of MEDITECH Inc. To carry forward the benefits of electronic prescribing to the outpatient setting, MEDITECH has integrated DrFirst's industry-leading Rcopia e-Prescribing technology into its comprehensive medication management solution. This functionality drives clinical excellence and enhances patient safety by adding the ability to electronically transmit prescriptions to an outpatient pharmacy upon discharge and providing access to a patient's medication claim history during medication reconciliation.
e-Prescribing capabilities also allow physicians to electronically query a patient's prescription drug plan and formulary to determine eligibility, covered medications, and benefit tiers. If a medication is not covered, then the system will list preferred drug alternatives. Physician offices using the Medical and Practice Management solution will also benefit from electronic refill notifications on the Physician's Desktop Screen.
DrFirst, Inc supports a drug free work environment. EOE.
Position Profile: Hospital Services Analyst
DrFirst is looking for an experienced MEDITECH hospital analyst to assist our hospital consulting group with the building of MEDITECH e-prescribing modules in hospitals across the country. This position requires knowledge of analyzing, abstracting, and assisting in the conversion of data within MEDITECH software. This is a full-time exempt position offering a competitive salary and benefits package.
Responsibilities include:
Building of the Prescription Management, RXM module within a MEDITECH HCIS systems
Identifying and troubleshooting technical issues related to dictionaries in MEDITECH HCIS systems
Providing ongoing technical support to our customers in the e-prescribing healthcare field
Acting as a direct resource for our customers
Very minimal travel may be required, otherwise candidate will work from home
Qualifications:
A minimum of 3 years MEDITECH applications experience, including implementation, module coordination, and upgrades for large healthcare enterprises
RXM/AOM/PHA proficiency preferred but not required
Experience developing technical documentation and estimation of resource requirements for tasks and small projects
Experience with conversion to MEDITECH version 6.0 is a plus
Experience working with MEDITECH, Inc. to resolve issues
Project management experience
Process redesign experience
Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills, as well as, a strong understanding of information systems design, integration and functionality required
Ability to work and collaborate with others in a cross-functional team setting
Must be able to demonstrate understanding of national patient safety initiatives and JCAHO accreditation standards
Position Profile: Hospital Services Consultant
DrFirst is looking for an experienced MEDITECH hospital consultant to assist our hospital consulting group with the building of MEDITECH e-prescribing modules in hospitals across the country. This position requires working on site with MEDITECH Hospitals in the building of Medication Management. Consults will include training, “Go Live” support, IT Planning and needs assessments, application support, and operational analysis. This is a full-time exempt position offering a competitive salary and benefits package.
Responsibilities include:
Performing consulting engagements at MEDITECH hospitals
Acting as a direct resource for our customers
Assist in the building of the Prescription Management, RXM module within a MEDITECH HCIS system
Identifying and troubleshooting technical issues related to dictionaries in MEDITECH HCIS systems
Providing ongoing technical support to our customers in the e-prescribing healthcare field
Travel required
Qualifications:
A minimum of 2 years MEDITECH applications experience, including implementation, module coordination, and upgrades for large healthcare enterprises
Ability to work and collaborate with others
Ability to work with hospital leadership in strategic capacity
Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills, as well as, a strong understanding of information systems design, integration and functionality required
RXM/AOM/PHA proficiency preferred but not required
Experience developing technical documentation and estimation of resource requirements for tasks and small projects
Experience working with MEDITECH, Inc. to resolve issues
Process redesign experience and attention to detail
Must have ability to anticipate problems and visualize solutions on a proactive basis
Good writing skills
Position Profile: Hospital Services Pharmacy Technician
DrFirst is looking for an experienced MEDITECH hospital pharmacy technician to assist our hospital consulting group with the building of MEDITECH e-prescribing modules in hospitals across the country. This position requires knowledge of analyzing, abstracting, and assisting in the conversion of prescription data, sig, and strings within MEDITECH software and PHA module. This is a full-time exempt position offering a competitive salary and benefits package.
Responsibilities include:
Building of the PHA modules within a MEDITECH HCIS system
Identifying and troubleshooting technical issues related to dictionaries in MEDITECH HCIS systems
Providing ongoing technical support to our customers in the e-prescribing healthcare field
Acting as a direct resource for our customers
Very minimal travel may be required, otherwise candidate will work from home
Qualifications:
Certified Pharmacy Technician with experience in MEDITECH Prescription Management RXM module a plus
PHA proficiency preferred
RXM/AOM/PHA proficiency preferred but not required
Experience working with MEDITECH, Inc. to resolve issues
Project management experience a plus
Process redesign experience
Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills, as well as, a strong understanding of information systems design, integration and functionality required
Ability to work and collaborate with others in a cross-functional team setting
Must be able to demonstrate understanding of national patient safety initiatives and JCAHO accreditation standards
How to Apply:
To learn more about DrFirst, see our website at www.drfirst.com. Please submit your resume with salary requirements to recruit@drfirst.com.
Recent News: Secretary Sebelius Announces Final Rules To Support ‘Meaningful Use’ of Electronic Health Records
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 13, 2010 -- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced final rules to help improve Americans’ health, increase safety and reduce health care costs through expanded use of electronic health records (EHR).
“For years, health policy leaders on both sides of the aisle have urged adoption of electronic health records throughout our health care system to improve quality of care and ultimately lower costs,” Secretary Sebelius said.“Today, with the leadership of the President and the Congress, we are making that goal a reality.”
Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, eligible health care professionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments when they adopt certified EHR technology and use it to achieve specified objectives.One of the two regulations announced today defines the “meaningful use” objectives that providers must meet to qualify for the bonus payments, and the other regulation identifies the technical capabilities required for certified EHR technology.
Recent News: St. Joseph Health System Optimizes Surgery Management Across IDN with Picis Total Perioperative Automation Solution
Picis to centralize data, integrate records and provide OR and anesthesia analytics
WAKEFIELD, MA, July 12, 2010 — Picis announced today that St. Joseph Health System (SJHS) in Orange, Calif., one of the largest integrated delivery networks (IDNs) in the United States, has selected Picis perioperative and anesthesia information management solutions for 13 facilities and an estimated 81 operating rooms (ORs) as the standard across the IDN. This enables SJHS to consolidate six different databases into a single integrated total perioperative automation solution using Picis technology to capture, compare, benchmark, and share meaningful data across the enterprise. SJHS anticipates significant operational improvements and a return on investment of millions of dollars from improved OR management, billing and reimbursement, improved clinician and patient satisfaction and standardization of the patient record.
"By selecting Picis for all of our hospitals’ operating rooms, we can drive process improvements, combine resources, use analytics to optimize cost savings, and efficiencies and drive best practices in the quality of care we provide throughout the enterprise,” says Jim McManus, Vice President of Finance, St. Joseph Health System. “Interoperability is critical and Picis is helping us bring together information in meaningful ways across care areas, such as OR and anesthesia management, as well as across the enterprise.”
Recent News: CSC Tops Ranking of Healthcare Consultants to Help Achieve Meaningful Use
FALLS CHURCH, VA, June 24, 2010 – CSC (NYSE: CSC) announced today that it has been recognized as a leader amongst healthcare technology consultants, according to a new KLAS report. The report, Shifting Demand for Consultants: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not and Why, surveyed 118 healthcare providers to assess their perception of professional services firms (PSF) in the industry and who they will look to for help in achieving meaningful use.
According to KLAS, CSC is the “big winner” — garnering the most consideration of any PSF and receiving the greatest amount of attention, mostly for implementation support and skilled staffing. In the survey, three separate providers reported that CSC has “deep healthcare/application knowledge and bench strength,” “good technical resources,” “good exposure in terms of meaningful use” and is “a step ahead in the implementation process.”
New Product for Physician Office Integration with Robust Order Management Capabilities
BRAINTREE, MA, June 21, 2010 — Summit Healthcare, a leader in healthcare system integration and task automation, today announced the launch of Summit Provider Exchange. Summit Provider Exchange, the latest addition to the Summit Apex Suite of integration and automation applications, offers the ability to facilitate physician office integration and health exchange participation. This is accomplished through integrating bi-directional patient ADT, order and results data between the hospital and physician office EMR systems.
Summit Provider Exchange provides healthcare organizations with the ability to connect to an unlimited number of offices with easy customization, mapping and smart routing of data including order control and management features. The immediate advantages of integrating with physician offices are numerous and include giving external providers access to critical patient data to increase productivity and improve clinical decision making while allowing for enhanced revenue opportunities at the hospital. With Summit Provider Exchange, there is no longer the headache or worry of orders being sent to your MEDITECH system without a hospital medical record number.
Recent News: Picis Announces 2010 Customer Recognition Award Winners
Leading hospitals and healthcare systems demonstrate the “Power of Results” generating millions of dollars of new revenue
WAKEFIELD, MA, June 15, 2010 — From its installed base of more than 1,800 leading hospitals and health networks globally, Picis announced today the winners of the 2010 Customer Recognition Awards at the 9th Annual Picis Exchange Customer Conference, currently underway in Miami, Fla. Consistent with the conference’s theme of the “Power of Results,” these awards recognize hospitals and healthcare systems using Picis CareSuite™ solutions to support the organization’s clinical, financial and operational performance in the emergency department (ED), operating room (OR) or intensive care unit (ICU), and generating millions of dollars of revenue as a result.
“Prior to our Picis implementation, there was a constant disruption of the flow in our emergency department. Clipboards were everywhere and the bottlenecks would never go away. We are proud of the success we have accomplished with ED PulseCheck and of the outstanding results we have achieved,” said Dr. Neil Meehan, CMIO of Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Mass. “Picis is critical to our ongoing ED strategy and the implementation of our Health Information Exchange (HIE). We look forward to continuing to innovate through our partnership in the future.”
Recent News: OrthoIndy Partners with Summit Healthcare to Consolidate Interfaces with Provider Offices
Robust Integration Product Suite and Deep MEDITECH Knowledge Make Summit Healthcare the Clear Choice for Midwest’s Leading Orthopaedic Practice and Hospital
BRAINTREE, MA, June 10, 2010 — OrthoIndy has implemented technology from Summit Healthcare, a leader in healthcare system integration and task automation, to help its orthopaedic practice better manage the growing list of integration points between its core MEDITECH Magic HIS and related clinical, financial and operational systems. OrthoIndy is one of the most highly respected orthopaedic practices in the Midwest with more than 70 physicians providing care to Indiana residents at 14 sites including the Indiana Orthopaedic Hospital (IOH).
OrthoIndy selected Summit Healthcare to help the organization upgrade its clinical information systems, with a special emphasis on improving workflows, finding more opportunities to automate time-consuming processes, and consolidate point-to-point interfaces connecting MEDITECH Magic with ancillary systems. OrthoIndy’s IT teams used the Summit Apex toolset, including the Summit Express Connect integration engine to consolidate point-to-point integrations into a single integration engine model which will make future integrations and migrations much more efficient. They are also using components of the suite for a strategic physician office integration project, linking their AllScripts ambulatory EMR with the MEDITECH HIS.
Recent News: Summit Healthcare Sponsors Heart of MUSE and Gives Back to Local Children’s Charity; Love For Kids, Inc.
BRAINTREE, MA, June 10, 2010 — Summit Healthcare, a leader in healthcare integration and workflow automation is proud to be the sole sponsor of the Heart of MUSE philanthropy event at the MUSE International show. This marks the sixth year that Summit Healthcare has sponsored this event and they were pleased this year to learn the charitable organization would be Love For Kids, Inc. The Love For Kids charity focuses to enrich the quality of life of the young and young-at-heart within the Dallas/Ft. Worth community who are in need of benevolent services. The charity received a $2,500 dollar donation made possible through the MUSE attendee 50/50 raffle and Summit Healthcare’s additional contribution match of $1,000.
“Love For Kids charity is extremely grateful to MUSE and Summit Healthcare for their generous donation. Our charity hosts a variety of events throughout the year. From one of the largest holiday parties in Texas for over 3,000 underprivileged children who have never known a true Christmas to our Spring Event for 2,000 handicapped children including their siblings and parents for a day of fun at Circle R Ranch. Without the generous contribution of our donors, these events simply could not exist. From the bottoms of our hearts and the hearts of the children, thank you. ”- Martha Barrett, Zamorano, Executive Board of Directors, Love For Kids, Inc.
Recent News: maxIT Healthcare Named to HCI Top 100 List
Ranked 56th Among Healthcare Information Technology Companies
WESTFIELD, IN, June 2010 - maxIT Healthcare, a leading professional consulting services company for healthcare providers, has been recognized by Healthcare Informatics (HCI) as a 2010 Top 100 Healthcare Information Technology company. HCI provides an annual ranking of the top 100 healthcare IT vendors based on revenue. This is the first year that maxIT has submitted data to be considered for the list.
maxIT provides critical IT support that helps healthcare organizations improve their clinical, financial, operational and IT outcomes. With over 350 senior consultants, maxIT offers implementation, project management, and strategy expertise in healthcare information systems (HIS), electronic medical records (EMR) systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, payer systems, clinical imaging and informatics systems (for radiology and cardiology), and management consulting.
Recent News: Beacon Partners Named to the 2010 HCI 100 List
List recognizes the 100 leading healthcare IT companies
WEYMOUTH, MA, June 2010 – Healthcare management consulting firm Beacon Partners has been named to the Healthcare Informatics 2010 HCI 100 List, which recognizes the 100 leading healthcare information technology companies in the industry. “It’s always an honor to be recognized on the HCI 100 list, and our growth continues at a steady pace as we respond to the needs of healthcare organizations and advise them on how to maximize their operational and financial performance to improve their overall efficiency,” said Ralph P. Fargnoli, president and CEO of Beacon Partners. “We are especially active now as we assist these organizations to achieve meaningful use in order to maximize their ARRA incentives, and we look forward to continued growth.”
Worth a Read: Articles of Interest to the Healthcare IT Field
Rowing Together By: Mark Hagland Healthcare Informatics, July, 2010
Hospitals and health systems nationwide are moving rapidly to put into place teams of clinical informaticists in order to move forward on meaningful use under the ARRA-HITECH Act. But, say clinical informaticists and CIOs at pioneering hospital organizations, it takes years to develop the kinds of synergy that will be needed to achieve the kinds of optimization of clinical IT that organizations are hoping for.
Usable Health IT for Physicians By: John Silva, Nancy Seybold, and Marion Ball Healthcare Informatics, July, 2010
A physician-specific point-of-care system that continuously adapts to practice patterns can potentially result in dramatic improvements to the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.
2010 ‘Most Wired Hospitals’ Announced Hospitals & Health Networks, July, 2010
The Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking study, conducted annually by Hospitals and Health Networks, has named the "Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems" for 2010. The survey included new questions about meaningful use.
HIEs Poised for Growth, Change By: Mike Miliard Healthcare IT News, July 1, 2010
A recent in-depth assessment of health information exchange (HIE) vendors from IDC Health Insights is predicting "significant growth over the next 12 months or so," according to Lynne Dunbrack, program director at IDC Health Insights.
Designing EMRs with Paper and Pencils By: Mike Miliard Healthcare IT News, July 1, 2010
When the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released its report "Electronic Health Record Usability: Vendor Practices and Perspectives" this past spring, its first words of warning were that design and ease of use were major sticking points.
mTuitive OpNote offers surgeons a “one-stop-shop” report where we could:
Dr. Jared D. Ament recently completed clinical research fellowships at Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) and at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (UMass) in surgical outcomes. He has worked with Dr. Dohlman (MEEI) and Dr. Black (Brigham and Women’s Hospital) for 3 years now and with Dr. Richard Moser (UMass) for the last year. His MD is from the Medical School for International Health, a collaborative initiative between Ben-Gurion and Columbia Universities. His MPH is from the Harvard School of Public Health. He is adjunct faculty at Harvard Medical School’s department of Population Health and Epidemiology and has specific interests in cost-effectiveness research, international surgery, surgical outcomes, and medical education. He is currently a surgical resident at UMass.
Founded in 2000, 
