• S&P Consultants Joins College of Health Information Management Executives as a Foundation Partner

    Top IT executives aligned to improve patient care via technology

    BRAINTREE, MA – September 30, 2016 — S&P Consultants, Inc. joined the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) this month as a Foundation partner. CHIME’s core membership—restricted to the highest-ranking IT executives within major healthcare networks—seeks to advance strategic and innovative applications within healthcare in order to improve patient care.

    CHIME Foundation partners are industry thought leaders who are invited to contribute to the group’s mission and advise its membership in specific technology areas.

    With 20 years’ experience in integrating complex LIS and EHR systems, S&P anticipates sharing real-world insights with CHIME’s membership in the realm of healthcare IT (HIT) customization, integration, and adoption by clinicians.

    “We have a history of successfully negotiating and reconciling the competing priorities of technologists, administrators, and clinicians,” said S&P’s President/CEO Andy Splitz. “The S&P team has significant clinical experience, including a physician who serves as our CMIO. Joining CHIME will allow us to further leverage this experience in shaping tomorrow’s policies and solutions in the healthcare industry at-large. We are looking forward to a robust and dynamic partnership.”

    With more than 1,900 CIO members, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professionals and industry leaders to collaborate, exchange best practices, address professional development needs and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve.

    “Being an active part of the entire healthcare community has always been a big part of who we are as a company,” explained Zach Johnson, S&P’s VP of Business Development. “Because our day-to-day activities center in HIT consulting for diverse healthcare systems across the country, we have a particularly close view of how HIT is actually being implemented. Joining CHIME will present new opportunities for us to share these insights, as well as educate—and learn from—other CHIME members through focus groups and live sessions. We are excited about this new partnership.”

    About S&P Consultants, Inc.
    S&P Consultants is a leading independent provider of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) services and solutions to hospitals, clinical labs, and healthcare networks of every size across the country. Even after 20 years in business, every S&P Consultant adheres to their core values of integrity, innovation, client-focus and quality outcomes on every project. The S&P team has expertise with virtually all the major HIT systems—with a reputation as the nation’s premiere LIS experts. On the EHR side, many of their clients run Cerner systems—which is another particular specialty of their consultants, including experts who helped develop and optimize the platform during its infancy. They specialize in “impossible” challenges in making today’s systems fit the needs of busy healthcare professionals from the bedside to the boardroom. To learn more about S&P Consultants please visit spconinc.com.

    CONTACT
    Zach Johnson
    S&P Consultants – Vice President, Business Development
    781.428.3497
    [email protected]

    About the CHIME Foundation
    The CHIME Foundation is a non-profit organization composed of select healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms. CHIME Foundation members benefit from the unique opportunity to partner and collaborate with more than 1,800 CHIME members. The CHIME Foundation provides and participates in educational initiatives and programs that serve the professional development needs of CHIME and CHIME Foundation members. These initiatives and partnerships advance the strategic and innovative applications of healthcare information technology. CHIME was sanctioned by HIMSS (The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) prior to its founding in 1992.

    Posted 9.30.2016

  • Sunquest Information Systems introduces Sunquest Clinical Collect™ for Android & iOS

    Solution eliminates need for multiple devices for tracking specimen collection, barcode scanning & label printing

    TUCSON, AZ- September 29, 2016 — Sunquest Information Systems Inc. today announced the general availability of Sunquest Clinical Collect™ for Android, iOS and Windows, enabling nursing staff to use a single device for positive patient identification in the laboratory sample collection process and other applications. The solution simplifies workflow and reduces complexity, which enhances patient safety.

    “We use Sunquest for our specimen collection system today and have plans to roll it out housewide,” said Barry Farrar, MT(ASCP), LIS administrator for Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville, AL. “Nursing in particular is challenged with using many different systems to take care of their patients. We don’t want them having to wear a tool belt to manage different devices for each system. Sunquest’s solution helps make the life of the nurse much easier by consolidating to a single mobile device that they can use for many different systems for communication, medication administration and collecting lab specimens. We are looking forward to using this in the future for blood transfusions as well.”

    Sunquest Clinical Collect features new technology that takes the device beyond its original smartphone capabilities and enables Bluetooth printing and scanning to identify patients in a single workflow. Architectually, Sunquest Clinical Collect is designed so that the bulk of the processing burden is performed on a separate server, rather than the user device. This optimizes device speed and efficiency for the nurse end-users.

    “Sunquest has a long-standing commitment to creating solutions that increase the efficiency of lab operations and seamlessly integrate across the health system,” said Matthew Hawkins, president of Sunquest. “Sunquest Clinical Collect exemplifies this commitment and simplifies workflows for nurses and other clinicians. Ultimately, this solution helps our clients enhance patient safety and deliver the highest quality care.”

    About Sunquest Information Systems
    Sunquest Information Systems Inc. provides laboratory information systems to more than 1,700 laboratories. Since 1979, Sunquest has helped laboratories across the world optimize financial results, enhance efficiency and improve the quality of patient care. The company’s singular focus on diagnostic innovation has delivered solutions that offer unique support for complex testing, enable community-wide connectivity and can be used at the point-of-care. Headquartered in Tucson, AZ, with offices in the United Kingdom and India, Sunquest is a global leader in healthcare information technology. For more information, visit sunquestinfo.com.

    Posted 9.29.2016

  • Inside CHIME: CHIME Leaders Showcase Improvements in Care Continuum

    Inside CHIME - header

    9.29.16 by Leslie Krigstein
    VP of Congressional Affairs, CHIME

    CHIME board members stormed Capitol Hill during National Health IT Week to showcases advances in health IT and to advocate for data standards, interoperability and more.

    Sharing real-world experiences with members of Congress and federal regulators, CHIME board members earlier this week detailed how they are using health IT to extend care beyond the hospital and deep into their communities.

    During a CHIME-sponsored luncheon kicking off National Health IT Week – “Connected Care – Leveraging Healthcare Technology to Improve Health at Any Age” – board chair Marc Probst, along with fellow trustees Cara Babachicos and Albert Oriol, detailed how technology is facilitating new avenues and opportunities to connect with patients. The CIOs were joined by Cyndi Cahill, managing partner of Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, who outlined some of the challenges of achieving more widespread adoption of such technologies as telehealth and remote monitoring while healthcare is still largely a fee-for-service model.

    The event began with remarks from Vindell Washington, M.D., the nation’s chief health IT official. As the national coordinator for health IT, Washington outlined the progress made to date in digitizing the nation’s healthcare system, as well as outlined directives for the Office of the National Coordinator moving forward to ensure that health IT can be leveraged by clinicians and patients alike to improve healthcare quality and facilitate improved outcomes.

    CHIME President & CEO, Russell Branzell moderated a question and answer session.

    The CIOs outlined how telemedicine and mhealth are being used to improve access and outcomes for a variety of patient populations. Other discussions centered how precision medicine and genomics can speed clinical decision making and avoid unnecessary treatments. They also explored how to expand access to new and innovative technologies by ensuring that foundational elements like data standards and patient identification are in place.

    CHIME representatives also used National Health IT Week to meet with influential policymakers to discuss issues ranging from patient identification and data standards to cybersecurity and telehealth. While National Health IT Week presents an opportunity to shine the public policy light on core CHIME issues, our advocacy efforts are on-going and benefit from CHIME member involvement all year.  We encourage you to consider weighing-in on a particular piece of legislation or to share your stories about how your organizations have leveraged health information technology to improve healthcare, detail your experience with Meaningful Use or quality measurement. Policymakers want to hear from you and they value your experience.

    More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 27:

    Posted 9.29.2016

  • Inside CHIME: Randy McCleese Honored for Public Policy Efforts

    Inside CHIME - header

    Weinstock 70x70 9.29.16 by Matthew Weinstock
    Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME

    The rural hospital CIO has helped shape CHIME’s public policy efforts and brought a valuable voice to the table.

    A longtime advocate for providers in small and rural communities, Randy McCleese, LCHIME, CHCIO, was honored as the winner of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executive’s Federal Public Policy Award for CIO Leadership. McCleese is vice president of information services and chief information officer at St. Claire Regional Medical Center, a 159-bed hospital in northeastern Kentucky.

    McCleese serves on CHIME’s Policy Steering Committee and has been instrumental in helping inform members of Congress and regulators about the impact health policy has not only on small and rural communities, but across the care continuum. He’s been a thought leader on a number of critical issues facing health IT leaders, including expansion of telehealth services, the future of the Meaningful Use program, cybersecurity, and more. The Federal Public Policy Award recognizes leadership by a CHIME member for a range of activities, including educating policymakers on the value of health IT, testifying before federal workgroups or congressional committees, visiting representatives, and providing feedback on federal initiatives.

    “Law and policymakers need to hear from those of us on the frontlines, especially at small healthcare organizations,” McCleese said. “Small organizations operate on razor-thin margins, making it extremely difficult to figure out how we are going to meet complex regulatory requirements, especially when we have competing needs to allocate both financial and human resources toward technology that directly impacts patient care and can help save lives.”

    A Policy Steering Committee member since 2009, McCleese has seen a growing awareness in Washington, D.C., of the important role that CIOs play in transforming care. He noted that CHIME and its members have become a vital resource in helping inform and shape public policy. CHIME led the charge in getting congressional leaders and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to advance flexibility in the Meaningful Use program, including a 90-day reporting period. And, as McCleese noted, CHIME has been invited to participate in top Obama administration programs, including the Precision Medicine Initiative and cybersecurity efforts.

    “Randy brings a critical voice to CHIME’s public policy efforts,” said Charles Christian, FCHIME, LCHIME, CHCIO, vice president of technology and engagement, Indiana Health Information Exchange, and chair of the CHIME Public Policy Steering Committee. “With limited resources, CIOs at small and rural organizations wear a lot of hats; Randy is able to delivery that unique perspective and explain how different regulatory programs converge and impact operations and patient care. He also lives by example. St. Claire has a very robust IT infrastructure and he’s been able to show how small organizations can maximize IT to improve care across the continuum.”

    McCleese will be honored this week as part of National Health IT Week in Washington, D.C., and officially presented with the award at the CHIME16 Fall CIO Forum in Phoenix, November 1-4.

    More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 27:

    Posted 9.29.2016

  • Top Academic Medical Center Chooses Orion Health Rhapsody Integration Engine

    UAB Medicine to use Orion Health’s integration engine

    SCOTTSDALE, AZ – September 28, 2016 — University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB Medicine) will replace its connectivity software platform with the Orion Health Rhapsody® Integration Engine, Orion Health announced today.

    UAB Medicine needed a state-of-the-art integration software platform that would be easy for the information technology staff to learn and use, powered by technology powerful enough to support elaborate data transformations and unique rule sets. UAB Medicine utilizes a wide range of major hardware and operating system platforms as well as software it developed on its own, so its integration needs were complex.

    UAB Medicine’s transition to Rhapsody will involve rewriting approximately 300 interfaces as well as implementing new interfaces and integration projects using Rhapsody.

    Rhapsody achieves rapid interoperability between healthcare systems, enabling connected solutions in less time and at a lower cost. As Orion Health’s foundation product, Rhapsody is the enabler that brings systems together and is a proven, high-performance engine for robust, reliable exchange and acquisition of health data.

    About UAB Medicine
    UAB Medicine comprises the School of Medicine and the $3 billion UAB Health System that includes all of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s patient-care activities and 2,300 licensed beds, the majority in UAB Hospital — the third-largest public hospital in the US, winner of the Women’s Choice award and one of US News and World Report’s Best Hospitals. UAB is the state of Alabama’s largest single employer and an internationally renowned research university and academic health center; its professional schools and specialty patient-care programs are consistently ranked among the nation’s top 50. UAB is the largest academic medical center in Alabama and one of the top four largest academic medical centers in the US. UAB’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science is advancing innovative discoveries for better health as a two-time recipient of the prestigious Center for Translational Science Award. Find more information at uab.edu and uabmedicine.org.

    About Orion Health
    Orion Health is a technology company that provides solutions that enable healthcare to over 100 million patients in more than 25 countries. Its open technology platform seamlessly integrates all forms of relevant data to deliver population health and precision medicine solutions across the entire health community. Orion Health makes healthcare information available anywhere by providing healthcare IT connectivity in every US state and in over 30 countries worldwide. With an inherent ability to interconnect a wide variety of healthcare information systems, Orion Health’s Amadeus, with the Rhapsody Integration Engine, facilitates data acquisition and aggregation within and among payer and provider organizations, accountable care organizations, governments and health information exchanges. The company employs more than 1,250 people globally and is committed to continual innovation, investing over 30 percent of total operating revenue year to date in research and development, to cement its position at the forefront of precision medicine. For more information, visit orionhealth.com/us and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

    Media Contact
    Marcia Rhodes
    480.664.8412 ext. 15
    [email protected]

    Posted 9.28.2016

  • Spok Survey Finds Increase in Mobility Planning but Gaps in Critical Infrastructure

    SPRINGFIELD, VA – September 28, 2016 –(BUSINESS WIRE)–Spok, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK) and the global leader in enterprise critical communications, today released the findings of their fifth annual mobility strategies in healthcare survey. The survey is designed to assess mobile workflow enablement progress and trends in hospitals across the country. More than 550 healthcare organizations responded to this year’s questions about mobile strategy documentation, bring your own device (BYOD) policies, communications infrastructure, and information security.

    “The results this year provide empirical data to support what we hear directly from our customers,” said Vincent D. Kelly, president and chief executive officer of Spok Holdings, Inc. “The majority of hospitals and health systems are formalizing a mobility strategy, which helps define the goals and framework for all mobile-related projects.” This framework includes how to measure project goals, what integrations are necessary to meet those goals, as well as the details of what mobile devices will be supported.

    The survey shows that mobile strategy plans and use cases continue to grow, with an emphasis on smartphones and apps. It also reveals that there is a large gap in the infrastructure necessary to support these strategies and devices, including wireless network coverage and enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions. “Fifty-four percent of respondents answered that Wi-Fi coverage is a current challenge for mobile device users, and 47 percent cited cellular coverage challenges. This gap will be critical for hospitals to address in an effort to mitigate security risks and enhance communications,” said Hemant Goel, president of Spok, Inc.

    Survey findings reveal that the diversity of mobile devices is increasing as new types of devices (such as wearables) are added to the mix and existing tools remain firmly entrenched in clinicians’ workflows. “As the survey demonstrates, pagers continue to play a major role in communications,” added Kelly. “That’s why, as part of our portfolio, we maintain support for the paging demands of the market, including the introduction of our encrypted pager. And this mobile device diversity confirms the strategic direction we have chosen with our Spok Care Connect® platform to offer a unified solution that brings together clinical communications systems and devices across provider organizations.”

    The survey also showed that more hospitals are hiring outside experts to help with clinical mobility, from planning through technology implementations and rollout. “Mobility enablement is far more complicated than just giving users an app. We’ve seen demand for our professional services group grow steadily as more customers look for help to achieve success with their mobility goals,” Goel said.

    For more detail about the objectives driving mobility strategies and BYOD programs, who’s involved in project planning, and the prevalence of poor Wi-Fi and cellular coverage, visit this resource page.

    Spok Care Connect is a fully integrated communications platform that provides a range of solutions designed to seamlessly strengthen a healthcare communications infrastructure. Organizations can build on their existing solutions to meet changing needs.

    About Spok
    Spok, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Spok Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPOK), headquartered in Springfield, Va., is proud to be the global leader in critical communications for healthcare, government, public safety, and other industries. They deliver smart, reliable solutions to help protect the health, well-being and safety of people around the globe. Their customers send over 100 million messages each month through their Spok® solutions, and they rely on Spok for workflow improvement, secure texting, paging services, contact center optimization and public safety response. When communications matter, Spok delivers.

    Spok is a trademark of Spok Holdings, Inc. Spok Care Connect is a trademark of Spok, Inc.

    Contacts
    Spok, Inc.
    Jill Asby
    952.230.5363
    [email protected]

    Posted 9.28.2016

  • Managing Partner, Cyndi Vely Cahill, of Pursuit Healthcare Advisors Speaking on a Panel on Capitol Hill at National Health IT Week

    PHILADELPHIA, PA – September 27, 2016 — Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, LLC (Pursuit) is pleased to announce that Cyndi Vely Cahill, Managing Partner is participating in special briefing hosted by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) at the National Health IT Week on Capitol Hill .

    The briefing will be help to showcase how providers are using health IT to connect with patients across the continuum, and explore regulatory barriers to improve access to technology for patients of all ages. Recent goals driving reform include improving care for patients with chronic conditions through the use of technology which is enabling changes in both payment and care models.

    “I am very honored to be asked to speak on a panel with several industry leading CIOs on such an important topic, said Cyndi Cahill. “It is a unique opportunity to connect with our lawmakers about how interoperability and improved health information exchanges can connect caregivers and clinicians, how technology is transforming healthcare, and why it is so important to understand what policy changes are needed to facilitate that improvement.”

    Additionally, Cahill will be participating in a CHIME briefing with the House Ways & Means Committee, Health Subcommittee. Discussions regarding value-based reimbursement programs, Meaningful Use, and how MARCA will keep the lines of communication open and help to continually evolve these programs so they are beneficial and increase quality patient care.

    To learn more about Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, click here. For more information about the CHIME briefing, click here.

    About CHIME
    The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,900 CIO members and over 150 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information please visit chimecentral.org

    About Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, LLC
    Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, LLC (Pursuit) is focused on fostering a supportive and educational environment as well as creating opportunities for their employees to make a difference where they work. They are pleased to work with some of the most forward thinking organizations to help data become usable information – and have secure access to that information in a dynamic and mobile delivery. Together they help health enterprises, clinicians and patients achieve success in this environment thereby improving care delivery, business performance and health outcomes. It’s simple, at Pursuit, it’s all about Ü. For more information, visit pursuithealthcare.com.

    Posted 9.27.2016

  • At RSNA 2016, Agfa HealthCare innovation aligns clinical & business advantages with Radiology’s value-based care models

    More solutions designed to deliver workflow efficiencies & clinical collaboration reflect company’s commitment to Care You Can See™ for radiologists & their patient

    MORSTEL, BELGIUM & GREENVILLE, SC – September 26, 2016 —

    • Maximising diagnostic usefulness for value-based patient care
    • Advanced Radiology features support clinical confidence across the enterprise
    • MUSICA goes Dynamic

    At RSNA 2016, Agfa HealthCare continues to enhance the value of visual information – maximizing its diagnostic usefulness for value-based patient care. The company’s commitment to strengthen radiology’s role in patient care is realized across its 2017 portfolio, from dynamic imaging powered by awardwinning MUSICA® image processing to one converged Enterprise Imaging platform and its specialized departmental workflow and image management services.

    In support of RSNA 2016’s theme, “Beyond Imaging,” Agfa HealthCare celebrates “Care You Can See” – demonstrating the company’s commitment to enhancing quality care throughout the imaging chain that is visible to anyone in the healthcare community.

    Care You Can See facilitates communication and collaboration for patient care
    Agfa’s Enterprise Imaging platform enhances clinical collaboration, and its foundation supports the role of the radiologist. Enterprise Imaging for Radiology combines a broad diagnostic workflow spectrum, task based workflow engine, and collaborative features to help improve communication and handoff between each of the different users involved in the diagnostic imaging process. Radiologist-curated capabilities such as accurate protocoling, automatic

    exception detection, fully integrated advanced image processing, re-defined hanging protocols, and rich native teaching files are a few of the innovative productivity features designed for consistent, predictable, and efficient study management.

    Agfa HealthCare will demonstrate how to securely consolidate and exchange medical images, non-DICOM unstructured multimedia information, and paper documents to strengthen satisfaction among clinicians, referrers, and patients. The converged platform is attractive to health systems, as it allows for more enhancements in the future as required by the needs and strategy of the users, targeted at specific clinical use cases and deployed at the hospital’s own pace.

    “Medical images are assets of the healthcare organization and need to be valued as such,” says James Jay, Global VP Imaging IT Solutions, Agfa HealthCare. “With our theme of ‘Care You Can See,’ we focus Agfa’s long proven commitment to radiology to maximize the value of medical images with an interoperable clinical exchange ecosystem. Our Enterprise Imaging solution fosters collaboration, enabling images, from anywhere, to be available to all involved caregivers across the care continuum.”

    To further support the company’s message, Agfa HealthCare will sponsor a corporate symposium Tuesday, November 29, 3:00-4:30 PM entitled, Advancing the Emerging Role of Radiologist as Enterprise Imaging Leader: Expertise, Collaboration, and Patient Safety.

    Care You Can See means every image counts
    In 2016, Agfa HealthCare received Frost & Sullivan’s North American Product Leadership Award for Digital Radiography, highlighting the strong comprehensive performance of its DR portfolio. The gold-standard MUSICA image processing software offers excellent image quality, while supporting care providers’ goals of delivering the lowest patient radiation dose reasonably achievable and a smooth and efficient workflow, which results in greater productivity. For the first time at RSNA 2016, Agfa HealthCare will demonstrate the power of MUSICA image processing on dynamic imaging*.

    “For decades, radiologists have appreciated the consistency and excellent contrast details provided by MUSICA image processing in general radiography”, says Louis Kuitenbrouwer, Vice President Imaging at Agfa HealthCare. “But our customers were asking for this quality in moving images as well. We are very proud to present MUSICA for dynamic imaging at RSNA 2016. This will provide everything the radiologist needs: fully automatic, very easy to use image processing that gets maximum information from an image, whether it’s still or moving.”

    Fast Forward to DR allows flexible, affordable technology upgrades
    Agfa HealthCare’s Fast Forward to DR program helps providers upgrade their imaging equipment at an affordable cost, often with no capital expense. The flexible program allows healthcare organizations to leverage their existing imaging investments, resulting in higher quality images, the potential for lower radiation dosages when cesium (CsI) based detectors are used, increased productivity, and a smooth, more efficient workflow. Fast Forward to DR includes step-by-step, individualized return on investment guidance from Agfa’s team of specialists to help the health system get the most from Agfa’s high quality digital radiography.

    Discover more about how Agfa HealthCare can help radiologists accelerate their journey as leaders of value-based care by visiting them at RSNA 2016, November 27-December 2, Chicago, IL, USA, Booth #3336.

    * Dynamic Imaging is not currently available in the US and Canada.

    About Agfa
    The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world’s leading companies in imaging and information technology. Agfa develops manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), for the healthcare sector (Agfa HealthCare), and for specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials). Agfa is headquartered in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries around the globe.

    About Agfa HealthCare Agfa HealthCare, present in one hospital out of two, is a leading provider of eHealth & Digital Imaging solutions. Care organizations in over 100 countries rely on Agfa HealthCare to optimize their efficiency and improve patient care. All Agfa HealthCare software solutions are part of the Global Agfa HealthCare Suite

    For more information on Agfa HealthCare, please visit agfahealthcare.com or the Agfa HealthCare Blog For images, courtesy of Agfa HealthCare, please visit agfahealthcare/resources

    Agfa, the Agfa rhombus, Care You Can See, and MUSICA are trademarks of Agfa-Gevaert N.V. Belgium or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

    All information contained herein is intended for guidance purposes only, and characteristics of the products and services described in this publication can be changed at any time without notice. Products and services may not be available for your local area. Please contact your local sales representative for availability information. Agfa HealthCare diligently strives to provide as accurate information as possible, but shall not be responsible for any typographical error.

    Only the English version of this press release is legally valid. The versions in other languages only represent a translation of the original English version.

    Posted 9.26.2016

  • Rural Hospital CIO Honored with Public Policy Award

    ANN ARBOR, MI, September 26, 2016 – A longtime advocate for providers in small and rural communities, Randy McCleese, LCHIME, CHCIO, today was honored as the winner of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executive’s Federal Public Policy Award for CIO Leadership. McCleese is vice president of information services and chief information officer at St. Claire Regional Medical Center, a 159-bed hospital in northeastern Kentucky.

    McCleese serves on CHIME’s Policy Steering Committee and has been instrumental in helping inform members of Congress and regulators about the impact health policy has not only on small and rural communities, but across the care continuum. He’s been a thought leader on a number of critical issues facing health IT leaders, including expansion of telehealth services, the future of the Meaningful Use program, cybersecurity, and more. The Federal Public Policy Award recognizes leadership by a CHIME member for a range of activities, including educating policymakers on the value of health IT, testifying before federal workgroups or congressional committees, visiting representatives, and providing feedback on federal initiatives.

    “Law and policymakers need to hear from those of us on the frontlines, especially at small healthcare organizations,” McCleese said. “Small organizations operate on razor-thin margins, making it extremely difficult to figure out how we are going to meet complex regulatory requirements, especially when we have competing needs to allocate both financial and human resources toward technology that directly impacts patient care and can help save lives.”

    A Policy Steering Committee member since 2009, McCleese has seen a growing awareness in Washington, D.C., of the important role that CIOs play in transforming care. He noted that CHIME and its members have become a vital resource in helping inform and shape public policy. CHIME led the charge in getting congressional leaders and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to advance flexibility in the Meaningful Use program, including a 90-day reporting period. And, as McCleese noted, CHIME has been invited to participate in top Obama administration programs, including the Precision Medicine Initiative and cybersecurity efforts.

    “Randy brings a critical voice to CHIME’s public policy efforts,” said Charles Christian, FCHIME, LCHIME, CHCIO, vice president of technology and engagement, Indiana Health Information Exchange, and chair of the CHIME Public Policy Steering Committee. “With limited resources, CIOs at small and rural organizations wear a lot of hats; Randy is able to delivery that unique perspective and explain how different regulatory programs converge and impact operations and patient care. He also lives by example. St. Claire has a very robust IT infrastructure and he’s been able to show how small organizations can maximize IT to improve care across the continuum.”

    McCleese will be honored this week as part of National Health IT Week in Washington, D.C., and officially presented with the award at the CHIME16 Fall CIO Forum in Phoenix, November 1-4.

    About CHIME
    The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,900 CIO members and over 150 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.

    Contact
    Matthew Weinstock
    Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
    734.249.8917
    [email protected]

    Posted 9.26.2016

  • Vocera Integration with Prescriptive Analytics Reduces Patient Falls

    SAN JOSE, CA – September 22, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VCRA), the leading healthcare communications company, today announced that long-time customer MedStar Montgomery Medical Center has once again improved patient care with the launch of a fall prevention program. The innovative new initiative combines prescriptive analytics using the hospital’s clinical data with the Vocera Communication System, an intelligent software platform enabling real-time alerts and notifications, secure texting, hands-free communication, and integration with more than 75 clinical systems including electronic health records, nurse call and bed management solutions. The program is supported by analyticsMD’s prescriptive analytics solution.

    For more than 13 years, MedStar Montgomery Medical Center has been a Vocera customer, initially implementing the Vocera Communication System enterprise-wide to reduce noise levels. That objective was quickly met; and over the years, the hospital has leveraged Vocera technology in many other ways to improve patient experience and workflow efficiency. Equipping environmental services staff with wearable, voice-controlled communication devices helped improve room turnover rates, and integration between the bed tracking system and the Vocera solution significantly improved patient wait times and throughput in the emergency department. In 2012, the hospital integrated its nurse call solution with the Vocera system, connecting patients quickly to their caregivers and reducing staff response times.

    With a continuous focus on patient safety and satisfaction, MedStar implemented analyticsMD’s prescriptive analytics solution in 2016, gaining real-time, actionable insight into its patient population. The analyticsMD platform looks at both historical and transactional data to proactively notify MedStar team members about fall risks. Now MedStar has a real-time fall alert system that notifies care teams about high-risk patients. These alerts are sent directly to assigned nurses via their Vocera Communication Badge. Because the badges are wearable, staff members’ hands are free to quickly help patients at the bedside while also calling for co-workers’ assistance if needed.

    “We are noticing a downward trend in falls since implementing the prevention program using the Vocera technology in conjunction with analyticsMD prescriptive analytics,” said Christiane Brown, assistant vice president of information technology at MedStar. “It’s amazing how the right information combined with the right communication technology can have such as positive impact on patient care and safety.”

    In addition to safeguarding patients, an effective fall prevention program can improve operational efficiency. On average, a serious fall-related injury adds 6.3 days to a patient’s hospital stay and costs approximately $14,056, according The Joint Commission.

    “Real-time communication between care teams impacts multiple aspects of a health system’s operations and is essential in improving patient safety,” said Brent Lang, president and CEO of Vocera. “I’m impressed by the way MedStar Montgomery Medical Center has integrated its clinical data with the Vocera Communication Platform to improve staff responsiveness and reduce falls. This innovative approach is a great example of how human-centered technology can elevate the patient experience.”

    About MedStar Montgomery Medical Center
    MedStar Montgomery Medical Center is a 138-bed not-for-profit hospital serving the greater Baltimore and Washington metropolitan areas. A proud member of MedStar Health, MedStar Montgomery is committed to delivering the latest in modern medicine and medical technology.

    About analyticsMD
    The analyticsMD platform empowers frontline hospital managers to make data-driven operational decisions in real time. Machine learning and artificial intelligence uses a hospital’s data along with proprietary external signals empower staff and improve patient satisfaction in the value-based healthcare system. To learn more about analyticsMD visit analyticsmd.com.

    About Vocera
    Vocera Communications, Inc. offers one of the most robust clinical communications systems in healthcare. Installed in more than 1,300 organizations worldwide, Vocera delivers secure, integrated and intelligent communication solutions that enable care teams to collaborate more efficiently by delivering the right information, to the right person, on the right device, in the right location, at the right time. Vocera solutions provide hands-free voice communication, secure text messaging, patient engagement tools, and integrated clinical workflow with EHRs, nurse call systems and physiological monitors. These solutions help improve operational efficiency, quality of care, safety and satisfaction across the continuum of care. In addition to technology solutions, Vocera drives thought leadership and new standards in care to elevate patient, family, nurse and physician experiences via the company’s research collaborative, the Experience Innovation Network. Vocera is led by President and CEO Brent Lang and is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices in San Francisco, Tennessee, Canada, India, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Robert J. Zollars is the Chairman of the Board. For more information, visit vocera.com and @VoceraComm on Twitter.

    The Vocera logo is a trademark of Vocera Communications, Inc. Vocera® is a trademark of Vocera Communications, Inc. registered in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other trademarks appearing in this release are the property of their respective owners.

    Media Contact
Amendola Communications for Vocera Communications:
Joy DiNaro, Media Relations Director
847.809.0406
[email protected]
    Posted 9.23.2016

  • Impact Advisors Volunteers with SCARCE DuPage

    Operations team participates in community outreach activity

    CHICAGO, IL – September 21, 2016 — Impact Advisors, LLC, a leading provider of healthcare information technology services, volunteered with School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education (SCARCE) DuPage, an organization dedicated to inspiring people through environmental education and teaching people how they can keep recyclable items out of landfills by reusing them.

    Impact Advisors’ Operations Team participated in an activity where recycled crayons were made into usable packs and also melted down into “Super Crayons” that will eventually go to area Children’s Hospitals or teachers in need. The group participated in this activity as part of its annual Operations Team meeting last week in Naperville.

    “Our team had a wonderful experience volunteering this past week at SCARCE DuPage and helping to create crayons out of recycled materials for area children to use,” said Todd Hollowell, Chief Operating Officer at Impact Advisors. “Our firm is dedicated to creating a culture of caring and providing community outreach activities for our employees to participate in throughout the year.”

    The Impact Advisors’ Operations Team chooses a community outreach activity to participate in each year during their annual team meeting. The group has volunteered at Feed My Starving Children, packaging meals to feed the malnourished in nearly 70 countries, and at Operation Support Our Troops, packing care packages for active troops overseas.

    Impact Advisors is committed to creating a high-energy, team-oriented and rewarding work environment. In April as part of the firm’s annual staff retreat, ImpactPalooza, the entire team stuffed, dressed and accessorized 150 teddy bears and other stuffed animals to be delivered to children at Florida Hospital for Children.

    For more information on Impact Advisors, visit impact-advisors.com or visit the company on Facebook facebook.com/impactadvisors.

    About Impact Advisors, LLC
    Impact Advisors, a distinguished healthcare information technology consulting firm, improves its clients’ healthcare delivery through technology. As a trusted healthcare leader, the firm helps hospitals and health systems maximize clinical and operational performance with its Best in KLAS® strategic advisory, implementation and optimization services. Since its inception, Impact Advisors has consulted to more than 140 hospitals and health systems nationally and internationally. The firm has earned a number of industry and workplace quality awards including Best in KLAS® for seven consecutive years, Healthcare Informatics HCI 100, Crain’s Chicago Business Fast Fifty and Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work. For more information about Impact Advisors, visit impact-advisors.com.

    Posted 9.22.2016

  • Impact Advisors to Participate in National Health IT Week

    Firm celebrates healthcare IT through awareness activities

    CHICAGO, IL – September 20, 2016 — Impact Advisors, LLC, a leading provider of healthcare information technology services, is partnering with hundreds of organizations across the country to celebrate National Health IT (NHIT) Week from September 26-30. The firm will be promoting the important role that health information technology plays in improving healthcare delivery in America by participating in several awareness activities throughout the week.

    “We are eager and excited to celebrate NHIT week and participate in a number of internal and external awareness activities,” said Michael Nutter, Vice President at Impact Advisors. “Our goal is to spread awareness and share messages that will educate people on the importance of healthcare IT and encourage them to think about it year-round.”

    NHIT Week is a collaborative forum and virtual awareness week that assembles key healthcare constituents dedicated to working together to elevate the necessity of advancing health through the best use of information technology. The goal is to educate and build awareness on how health information technology improves the quality of healthcare delivery, increases patient safety, decreases medical errors and strengthens the interaction between patients and healthcare providers.

    The theme for this year’s NHIT Week is Value of Health IT. Focus areas this year include innovation; expanding access to care; expansion of economic opportunities and job creation; and making communities healthier. For more information, visit healthitweek.org.

    Impact Advisors will be participating in NHIT Week by promoting and celebrating the virtual event internally. In addition, the firm will be promoting the event on its social media sites and website.

    For more information on Impact Advisors, visit impact-advisors.com or visit the company on Facebook facebook.com/impactadvisors.

    About Impact Advisors, LLC
    Impact Advisors is a nationally recognized healthcare information technology consulting firm that is solving some of the toughest challenges in the industry by delivering strategic advisory, implementation and optimization services. Their comprehensive suite of patient access, clinical and revenue cycle services span the lifecycle of their clients’ needs. Their experienced team has a powerful combination of clinical, revenue, operations, consulting, and IT experience. The firm has earned a number of prestigious industry and workplace awards including Best in KLAS® for eight consecutive years, Healthcare Informatics HCI 100, Crain’s Chicago Business Fast Fifty, as well as “best place to work” awards from: Modern Healthcare, Consulting Magazine, Becker’s Hospital Review and Achievers. For more information about Impact Advisors, visit impact-advisors.com.

    Posted 9.20.2016
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