Eric Saff, chief information officer and senior vice president of John Muir Health in Walnut Creek, California, has a lot to say about the health information exchange within his home state. Recently, at the 2010 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in Atlanta, Saff sounded off in a video interview with ModernHealthcare.
As part of the stimulus package, Saff says a significant amount of money would be invested in health information technology to upgrade and increase the quality of the data exchange systems that either are in place, or will be soon. By updating data exchange systems and taking advantage of current technology, Saff says patient care will be greatly impacted as efficiency increases.
The dominating subject at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference, held in March in Atlanta, was clearly the “meaningful use” of health information technology. Considering the fact that billions of dollars in federal stimulus subsidies are attached to the term, it should come as no surprise that meaningful use was such a hot topic.
Original estimates said the federal government could pay between $14 billion and $27 billion to help subsidize healthcare provider investments in health information technology.. But according to a ModernHealthcare article covering HIMSS, the best thinking at the conference was the total amount would be between $22 and $23 billion.
Health care IT leaders are standing behind the new rule proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services concerning the testing and certifying of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), according to an article on HealthLeaders Media. The rule, which was proposed and released in March, would turn over the certification process to a private sector, as well as provide a fast-track certification timeline and the ability to have EHRs certified from multiple vendors.
The rule would create a two-step EHR certification process:
With an increasing number of studies revealing the benefits of digital mammography and other screening practices, it comes as a surprise that a government panel has suggested certain female demographics forego radiology screening for breast cancer.
According to a HealthLeaders Media article, radiology groups have found themselves at odds with the US Preventative Services Task Force, which has recommended:
- Women over age 74 stop all breast cancer screening
- Women ages 50-70 have screenings every other year
- Women ages 40-49 forego annual screening mammograms
As the healthcare industry moves closer toward mass digitization, there is also growing concern among patients regarding the ease of data accessibility associated with medical imaging technology.
To meet these privacy and security concerns, the Chicago-based American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is promoting a new Health Information Bill of Rights.
A recent Modern Healthcare report discusses the Health Information Bill of Rights and its seven-point platform that addresses the proliferation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and encourages strict data protection from healthcare providers. In addition, AHIMA outlines five other points in its Health Information Bill of Rights:
In 2002, West Virginia-based Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital realized that it needed to streamline the workflow and efficiency of its radiology department by implementing a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS).
Before choosing a medical imaging system, the 340-bed hospital used a film-based system, which required hours of time to read before actual reporting. Camden-Clark recognized that crucial time – and money – were being wasted.
Following an evaluation of practices, Camden-Clark chose McKesson’s Horizon Medical Imaging™ as its imaging solution. Once implemented, the hospital immediately suspended all use of film – except in rare cases – and exclusively adopted the new system.
A 2009 survey conducted by Manhattan Research reported that more than 60% of physicians are using smartphones, a number that is expected to jump another 20% by 2012. In addition, according to a report from American Medical News, physicians may soon be able to conduct medical imaging analysis and make diagnostic decisions straight from their smartphone. In fact, there is already application software in development that has proven accurate and efficient in clinical trials.
For example, a recent study by the Radiological Society of North America found a majority of radiologists were able to correctly diagnose appendicitis by accessing Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) using an iPhone app.
Gone are the days of radiologists keeping a file cabinet full of interesting imaging cases to use when junior radiologists required examples of particular conditions.
With a growing number of hospitals installing radiology Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), this former teaching method has all but disappeared.
But while the method may be gone, the teaching practice can still exist and thrive, according to a recent article by Nicola Strickland of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
The article appeared in a recent issue of Medical Imaging Technology and was commissioned by McKesson. It suggests the creation of a national digital teaching library, which would contain images contributed by radiologists with varied experience from across the country.
Before implementing a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) and Radiology Information System (RIS), Bloomington Hospital faced the same challenge as many multi-facility hospitals.
While its facilities shared the same patients, they didn’t share patient information and images.
Bloomington Hospital needed a medical imaging solution that would help it enhance the overall patient experience – from ordering to report distribution.
Specifically, the Indiana hospital was in search of a medical imaging solution to eliminate:
- Slow report turnaround times and delayed patient treatments
- The need for radiologists to travel long distances to other facilities to interpret exams
Staying up-to-date on the latest medical imaging and radiology research, news and technologies is simple with these two radiology resources. For even more publications and journals, check out our full list of PACS, RIS and healthcare resources.
Applied Radiology: This print and online radiology resource covers all aspects of diagnostic radiology, interventional techniques and therapeutic specialties. Applied Radiology features physician-authored clinical articles and radiological cases, as well as interactive quizzes, reader polls, videos and news stories.
Eric Saff, chief information officer and senior vice president of John Muir Health in Walnut Creek, California, has a lot to say about the health information exchange within his home state. Recently, at the 2010 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in Atlanta, Saff sounded off in a video interview with ModernHealthcare.
Follow Us On Twitter
