• CHIME Backs 2020 Year of the Nurse with 2 New Education Programs in the UK

    12.26.19
    By Jane Dwelly, Executive Director, International

    CHIME International is working with UK nurse organizations to deliver two education programs for nurse leaders in 2020 – designated the Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Organization. CHIME will deliver digital leadership training to 70 nurses from the Florence Nightingale Foundation’s prestigious scholarship program, including nine digital scholars funded by Health Education England’s Building a Digital Ready Workforce initiative. CHIME is also working with the Burdett Trust for Nursing to offer Digital Clinics to nurse leaders who specialize in conditions such as autism and Asperger’s Syndrome well as mental health nursing.

    More than 200 senior nurses in the UK will benefit from these two educational programs in 2020. CHIME is honored to serve nurse leaders in this landmark year for the profession, and it is fitting that CHIME is working in the UK, the home of Florence Nightingale, in the bicentenary of her birth. The Year of the Nurse will focus on the role of nurses in tackling 21st Century health challenges, and CHIME’s thought leadership and expertise will help nurse leaders make the most of digital health innovation to improve patient care.

    Applications for the Digital Clinics are open at https://chimecentral.org/digital-clinics/

    Editor’s note: Contact Jane Dwelly at [email protected] for further details on the Nurse Leadership Digital Academy hosted by the Florence Nightingale Foundation.

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    Posted 12.26.2019

  • Maximizing Benefits Post-Implementation: Q&A with HCI Group’s Chris Belmont, Part 2

    12.26.19
    By Candace Stuart, Director, Communications & Public Relations

    Chris Belmont, executive vice president of operations and strategy at The HCI Group: A Tech Mahindra Company, shared lessons learned overseeing two Epic go-lives as CIO at Ochsner Health System and MD Anderson Cancer Center in a previous Q&A. In this second Q&A, he discusses post-implementation challenges and opportunities. This has been edited for clarity and length.

    Q: Some people may think a go-live is as simple as turning a switch on and then we are all done. How do you deal with that mentality?

    A:The executive and leadership teams need to be fully engaged, if not, that is a red flag. At the end of the day, these projects are not about the software or the tools but a new way of doing business. We had turnover in both organizations (Ochsner and MD Anderson) during the 3-5-year lifecycle of the project. Mostly natural turnover, reassignments and retirements. We were lucky that the new nursing officer and COO jumped in with both feet and really owned the outcome. They were true leaders and I would argue were MVPs for our programs.

    I was fortunate in both places to have a very strong CMIO. I can’t talk on the right level with physicians like they can. But they also can’t relate to some of my technicians and programmers like I can. We had a strong partnership. Modifying physician and clinician behavior and the level of accountability is best done by one of their peers.

    Q: You say this is an organizational transformation and not a software project. Does the post-implementation stage vary by institution?

    The easiest part of this project is the software. It is predictable. The hardest part is driving adoption and change. That period after the go-live, while I think it is predictable, it varies in duration. Driving adoption and ownership before the go-live determines how long that post-live hangover lasts. At a minimum it’s six months but could be as much as a year. You need to be aggressive and plan for that period. You need to sprint to the starting line (the go-live) and then the hard work begins. That is when it goes from your build team owning and interacting with the system to everybody in the organization being impacted. These transformational projects impact literally everyone including the support staff. It is now their system and not IT’s. The build team shifts immediately from building to support.

    You can never do enough training. It is important to set the user’s expectations. Our analogy is that training doesn’t give you a PhD in Epic but more like a middle school education at best. You know how to navigate. You know what it looks like. The real proficiency comes when the users sit down and build your preferences and understand their new workflow. In these new systems compared to the legacy systems, patient care is a team sport. At Ochsner, we called it friendly fire. If not coordinated, activities in the system could conflict with each other. A nurse could tee up an order for a doc to sign and the doctor may not see it or delete it and the patient flow and care flow are interrupted.  You must bring those concepts together at the team level. While the physician is treating you, you must realize that the nurse is participating in this workflow with you. This includes messaging and managing patient messages through the portal and other avenues.

    At MD Anderson we were fortunate to have a hospital unit that was being prepared for construction. Because we coordinated with others in the organization, we had the facilities team pause the construction and we turned it into a simulation lab. The rooms were equipped and set up like our clinics and work areas. We had real MD Anderson patients volunteer to come in and we went through simulations of a visit. We had binders set up with very specific scenarios: a leukemia visit, or a clinic visit or surgery visit. We had proctors to observe, document and coach the teams. In many cases, we had an entire physician team come in. We probably touched 60-70% of the staff. They quickly became champions. Some actually requested multiple simulation sessions in order to get it right. All these things benefit the pace of adoption post live.

    If you think about the go-live day, it is like winning the air war. I apologize for the analogy. You go in and drop this system into an organization but then you must go in with the troops to deal with individual users. It is similar to hand-to-hand combat. You must find every physician who needs help and help them on a personal level. This is not about saying, ‘If you need help, call us.’ There will be a significant number of quiet strugglers. Epic has some powerful tools now that allow you to locate physicians that may be struggling. If you don’t address this community, they will either burn out and leave, be non-productive, or worse yet, may not provide the best care possible.

    Q: Where are you finding most organizations are in their journey?

    A: Most are post-hangover stage and realizing the value of the transformation. What we are seeing now is that some organizations have taken their eyes off other systems, things like the ERP system. They deflected resources and funding away from some of those systems, so some are getting long in the tooth. Now they are playing catch-up.

    We are seeing a trend in organizations looking at managed services. They are saying, ‘What things are commodities that I can have someone else do? Maybe they can do it better, faster and cheaper than I can do it in house? This may free us to do the innovative more progressive things?’ This is not because of EMR journeys but because of the pressures to control costs, be more agile and fast while being more value-added to organizations. Managed services offer the flexibility and elasticity of resources without having to hire and maintain a large team with a vast array of skills that are ever changing. You can drive out labor costs, for example, by sourcing some of those services in an on-demand or as-a-service model. Many are questioning if they want to be in the data center business anymore, for example. Migrating to the cloud is popular now and helps with dynamic capacity and demand while shifting to a more OpEx financial model.

    Typically, most organizations after that one-year post go-live period realize that the transformation was a good experience overall and begin leveraging the new operating model that emerges. CIOs who have led these transformations are often associated as being change agents and a strategic partner in the business. Some CIOs are struggling to get there because they still must keep the lights on and do the technology functions but also be strategic. CHIME references this as ‘CIO 3.0.’ The 3.0 is what CEOs want but some CIOs are struggling to get there. Not because of their skills or desires but often because of the tech debt that they are tasked with maintaining. I see so much change going on right now. These are exciting times. I’m also old enough to have experienced these major shifts over my 35-plus years in the industry. These changes are very exciting.

    Q: Is there anything you want to add?

    A: Sweat the small stuff but remember this is not a technology play. Technology is the enabler. It also is not the end point. It is a starting point. Constantly look at ways of doing more with the portfolio of talent and tools you have; not just more with Epic but look at all the tools. Don’t miss the opportunity to look at all the data you are collecting through all of these systems. That is how you provide value back to the organization. Give them the insights they need to run the business. Don’t wait to be asked. The CIO has a view of the entire organization from a perspective that most others do not.   

    More Inside CHIME:

    Posted 12.26.2019

  • CHIME Applauds Language in Spending Deal to Support Patient Identification

    ANN ARBOR, MI, Dec. 17, 2019 – A bipartisan spending deal announced yesterday by Congress includes directives to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to address problems related to patient matching. Although the bill did not lift a ban on funding for a unique patient identifier, the deal “encourages HHS to continue to provide technical assistance to private-sector-led initiatives to develop a coordinated national strategy that will promote patient safety by accurately identifying patients to their health information.”
     
    The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has long advocated for a unique national patient identifier to reliably link patients to their data. CHIME President and CEO Russell Branzell issued the following statement:
     
    “Congress’ direction for HHS to study ways to improve patient matching, which can include a unique patient identifier, is yet another important step in our efforts to ensure that patients are accurately and easily matched to their data as they receive care across disparate providers and others in the healthcare system.
     
    We look forward to working with HHS and Congress to resolve this issue once and for all. 
     
    This report language is the result of dozens of stakeholders, along with our champions Congressmen Bill Foster and Mike Kelly, joining forces and demanding better for our patients. We’ve made historic progress on this critical patient safety issue and we stand ready to see it across the finish line.”
     
    About CHIME
     
    The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 3,200 members in 56 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners 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 care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.
     
    Contact
    Candace Stuart
    Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
    734.665.0000
    Posted 12.20.2019

  • DrFirst’s Patent-Pending AI-Based Technology Solves Major Hurdles to Medication Reconciliation: Missing Information and Unstructured Data

    Patent covers SmartSig’s™ advanced approach for translating unstructured prescription data and safely inferring missing elements

    King’s Daughters Medical Center cuts overall 30-day readmission rate by 11 percent

    December 17, 2019

    Rockville, Md. – DrFirst, the nation’s leading provider of e-prescribing, patient medication management, and price transparency solutions, announced today that it will be awarded a second U.S. patent for its SmartSuite technology. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) Notice of Allowance for a patent (application no. 14/972,209) is for SmartSig’s “method and system for intelligent completion of medical records based on big data analytics.”

    SmartSig is a key part of DrFirst’s SmartSuite solution that works in conjunction with hospitals’ electronic health records (EHRs) to improve the quality of patient medication histories, which clinicians use for medication reconciliation. Medication reconciliation is a critical patient safety process to avoid adverse drug events, recommended every time a patient has a transition of care, such as being admitted or discharged from a hospital. Accurate medication reconciliation is a National Patient Safety Goal of The Joint Commission.

    King’s Daughters Medical Center (KDMC) in Brookhaven, Miss., worked with DrFirst to use its SmartSig technology to reduce gaps in medication history and streamline its medication reconciliation process.

    “This solution has significantly contributed to increased patient safety and improved health outcomes,” said Joe Farr, BSN, RN, KDMC Clinical Applications Coordinator who managed the transition. “In the first seven months following implementation of SmartSig, our overall 30-day readmission rates decreased by 11 percent.”

    DrFirst’s artificial intelligence solves three problems that have plagued medication histories in EHRs until now, all related to importing prescription instructions, called sigs. This information typically arrives as unstructured “free text,” often with missing pieces of information, and using a variety of synonyms for the same instructions (e.g., by mouth vs. orally). SmartSig’s AI can accurately address each of these issues, so the EHR can use its converted data to trigger critical safety checks, such as drug interaction or allergy alerts. DrFirst’s technology does this by:

    • Processing free text into appropriate data fields, so they are functional within the EHR system,
    • Inferring missing pieces of information based on context, and
    • Converting the free text elements and the inferred information into whatever nomenclature the hospital uses.

    These technological advancements also reduce the need for clinicians to enter medication histories manually, which is error-prone and time-consuming. The time savings also may help reduce care team burnout, which can be worsened by technology challenges, according to a recent report by the National Academy of Medicine.

    First used by a hospital system in October 2015, SmartSig now processes millions of pieces of information daily and serves hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. DrFirst is now releasing the next generation of SmartSig, which accurately translates 91 percent of incoming medication sigs and saves approximately 30 seconds of work for each medication. “This is a major advance that can help hospitals protect patients from adverse drug events,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “When everyone on the healthcare team has the information they need, precisely when they need it, patients can get the best care possible.”

    About DrFirst

    Since 2000, DrFirst has pioneered healthcare technology solutions and consulting services that securely connect people at every touchpoint of care to improve patient outcomes. We create unconventional solutions that solve care collaboration, medication management, price transparency, and adherence challenges in healthcare. We provide our clients with real-time access to the information they need, exactly when and how they need it – so patients get the best care possible. To learn more, visit DrFirst.com.

    ###

    DrFirst Media Contact
    Michelle Ronan Noteboom
    Amendola Communications
    512-426-2870
    [email protected]

    News Tag: , , 

    Posted 12.20.2019

  • GEMELLI HOSPITAL ON TRACK TO BECOME MORE DIGITIZED FOR BETTER PATIENT MANAGEMENT

    Gemelli Hospital announced the rollout of a new unified Healthcare Information System, InterSystems TrakCare with the aim of improving patient care and supporting healthcare professionals with their clinical decisions

    Rome, December 17, 2019 – Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS and InterSystems, a global leader in information technology platforms for health, business, and government applications, announced that Gemelli hospital in Rome has adopted InterSystems TrakCare as its new Electronic Medical Record System.

    TrakCare went live successfully in all inpatient departments of Policlinico Gemelli and Presidio Columbus, including NHS/RHS and private hospitalizations in October 2019. This is of particular significance to Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, given the complexity of the hospital activity, which is divided into 20 areas grouped in seven departments with the aim of providing care, training, teaching, and research among 241 units, including 85 Complex Operating Units, 124 Simple Operating Units, and 35 Simple Area Operating Entities.

    TrakCare implementation enabled Gemelli to proceed with many significant steps in its digitization process as well as its business management. It provided several features, such as an electronic medical record at the hospital’s bedside, unified clinical and administrative capabilities, and medication management.

    The ‘Go-Live’ also included the crucial integration of around 30 departmental and external systems, optimizing the flow of diagnostic and consultancy services in compliance with the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation standards. Through this complex system, all clinical documentation, including emergency documentation, automatically flows into the patient’s health record, in compliance with the dictates of the Personal Data Protection Authority for the benefit of all doctors and health professionals.

    The real-time detailed collection of all data will also automatically enrich the corporate Data Warehouse providing researchers and administrators at Gemelli hospital with a significant amount of additional data.

    The TrakCare implementation involved around 90 departments, 3,500 users, just under 1,000 workstations, 30 critical services, and the coordination of a team that, in peak times, reached nearly 200 people.

    Such an effort within the shortest time possible was achieved thanks to InterSystems’ professionalism and ability to team up with the Gemelli hospital IT team who was managing the project under the leadership of Mr. Paolo Sergi, CIO of the Policlinico. They put in place a huge effort to create a system with all of the required Gemelli functions.

    The contribution of the Health Management Department of the University Hospital was particularly important, while at the same time, they were engaged in the challenging project of the Joint Commission International (JCI) certification.

    “TrakCare enables care providers to have a holistic view of patients’ data from a clinical, administrative, and financial point of view in order to achieve clinical and financial goals. Through events and process monitoring, and by giving the right support to healthcare professionals’ clinical decisions, TrakCare is proving to be a fundamental tool that enables innovation and continuous improvement of care processes for the patients’ benefit,” said Cesare Guidorzi, Country Manager of InterSystems in Italy.

    “TrakCare provides Gemelli with a state-of-the-art solution for managing the complex clinical and administrative processes that are typical of a complex organization such as the Policlinico. The high level of integration during the different stages of care and the timely use of information for the decision-making process put in perspective the concrete possibility of controlling processes and conveying modifications in an efficient and effective way. Furthermore, analytical and documented information can be immediately extracted and elaborated on to support different research activities which represent the true flagship of our facility, which was recognized by the Italian Ministry of Health as IRCCS (Institute for Scientific Treatment and Research) for the Personalized Medicine and Innovative Biotechnology in March 2018,” said Marco Elefanti, General Director of the University Hospital A. Gemelli IRCCS.

    “Putting the patient at the center of care, specifically implemented by the health record and by all the clinical data integrations, as well as by the assisted medication administration, enables doctors and healthcare professionals to have an accurate and complete evaluation of the data to support clinical safety and quality of care,” explained Andrea Cambieri, Chief Medical Officer at Policlino Universitario Gemelli IRCCS.

    The next steps will involve the deployment of the electronic medical record to the outpatient and ambulatory departments, and activating functions to support research protocols and other significant optimization functions for resource allocation and planning.

    About Gemelli Hospital

    Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS in Rome brings together scientific and technical skills, human sensitivity and ethics, granting excellent and affordable care for the entire community and always looking at the future. It aspires to become the best academic medical center in Italy and one of the top 10 in Europe for clinical quality and ability to move research and development right to the bedside. It is the second largest Italian hospital and one of the main national cancer institutes. It is also a center of excellence for care, innovation and medical research in synergy with the School of Medicine and Surgery at the Università Cattolica in Rome.

    About InterSystems

    InterSystems is the information engine that powers some of the world’s most important applications. In healthcare, business, government, and other sectors where lives and livelihoods are at stake, InterSystems has been a strategic technology provider since 1978. InterSystems is a privately held company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA), with offices worldwide, and its software products are used daily by millions of people in more than 80 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.intersystems.com/.

    —

    Jack Tamasi | Associate

    Contact | (M) 781.850.5052

    Connect | LinkedIn

    Catch | InkLings blog

    Posted 12.19.2019

  • Avaap Recognized by KLAS Research as The Right Fit to Implement ERP for Hospitals and Healthcare Systems

    EDISON, NJ, (December 10, 2019) – Avaap, an industry-focused advisory services and technology management consulting partner known for delivering successful ERP transformations, today announced its inclusion in the KLAS Research 2019 ERP Implementation Report. In the report Avaap was recognized as an industry leader, offering healthcare customers the best chance of success when implementing Infor software.

    KLAS Research is a healthcare IT data and insights company providing the industry with accurate, honest, and impartial research on the software and services used by providers and payers worldwide. In its 2019 ERP Implementation Report, Avaap is the only firm that has consistent experience with both project leadership and staff augmentation. The report notes that Avaap customer satisfaction is driven largely by strong outcomes, including cost savings, end-user adoption, and improved organizational efficiency.

    With unprecedented merger and acquisition activity and drive toward value-based care, most health systems are engaging in system selection or moving to ERP in the cloud. As a result, the ERP software market has seen a resurgence of energy. Additionally, there is an uptick in need for partners who can help organizations implement the technology and oversee the significant change management and training required. The KLAS report notes that success might depend more on the implementation partner than on the actual software implemented.

    “The shift to value-based care has created the need for better insight into the cost of care; coupled with the obsolescence of the current ERP implementations, it has triggered growing interest in a driving organization-wide ERP transformation,” said Dhiraj Shah, Avaap CEO. “This transformation includes the migration to cloud-based ERP systems and a tighter integration between the EHR and ERP systems. Avaap’s long standing track record in ERP implementations, market leading capabilities in EHR and ERP integration, and organization change management capabilities via our most recent acquisition of Navigator Management Partners, puts us in a unique position to help healthcare providers with ERP transformation.”

    In addition to being the only partner in the KLAS report to offer an integrated approach to EHR and ERP, Avaap is the only authorized Prosci® training partner in the U.S., providing healthcare customers with a research-based approach to change management. As more healthcare organizations embrace cloud to scale and become agile, a deliberate approach to change management increases the likelihood of project success and return on investment. For organizations on the decision-making cusp, expert insights from KLAS provide valuable perspective on customer experience with leading vendors in the market.

    ###

    About Avaap

    Avaap is an industry-focused technology management and advisory services partner known for delivering transformative customer experiences. Headquartered in Edison, N.J. with global offices and customers around the world, Avaap has an expert-level consulting team with deep expertise in healthcare, retail, fashion, manufacturing and distribution, and other industries. Avaap has earned numerous industry accolades, including recognition on Computerworld’s list of 100 Best Places to Work in IT since 2014; recipient of Infor’s Alliance Partner of the Year award since 2014 as well as winner of several other Infor partner awards; KLAS 2017 Category Leader for Revenue Cycle Optimization; and multi-year recipient of Becker’s Healthcare and Modern Healthcare’s Top Places to Work awards. Avaap’s culture is powered by passionate people who are relentless in driving customer satisfaction. To learn more, visit www.avaap.com.

    Posted 12.19.2019

  • Pivot Point Consulting Announces Kyle McAllister as Director of Strategic Implementation

    Kyle McAllister joins Pivot Point Consulting, a Vaco company and KLAS-ranked healthcare IT leader, as Director of Strategic Implementation focusing on data analytics and population
    health strategy, as well as managed services.

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (PRWEB) December 17, 2019 — Pivot Point Consulting, a Vaco company and KLASranked healthcare IT leader, is excited to announce the addition of Kyle McAllister as Director of Strategic Implementation. McAllister will join Pivot Point Consulting’s Strategic Implementation team focusing on data analytics and population health strategy, as well as managed services, implementation excellence and business development.

    “Kyle brings an impressive background in data analytics to support population health and value-based care working with and for marquee vendors, clients and payers on pop health and analytics programs,” said Laura Kreofsky, VP Advisory Services. “This breadth of expertise will deepen our capability to deliver even more value in critical market areas such as BI, analytics and managed services.”

    McAllister’s first role at Pivot Point Consulting is leading a managed services reporting team at a prominent Louisiana health system in order to free the health system’s team to focus on higher-value projects. He will serve as the Epic Cogito engagement leader, responsible for day-to-day delivery and managing the Epic Cogito reporting module.

    McAllister has worked with numerous prominent healthcare organizations, leading them though complex projects from visioning to execution to optimization. He brings experience in healthcare IT as a strategist at notable EHR vendors, as well as payer experience working in accountable care. Kyle began his career as an Ambulatory implementer and team lead and has expanded into increasingly strategic roles in the population health and data analytics spaces.

    “I am passionate about serving others and making a positive impact in global and local communities through innovative solutions that address the challenges in the healthcare industry,” said McAllister.

    About Pivot Point Consulting, a Vaco Company
    Pivot Point Consulting enables healthcare organizations to realize the most value from their technology and data through their KLAS ranked advisory, implementation/optimization, managed services and talent solutions.

    The company provides strategy and consulting services for providers, payers and life sciences organizations – with roughly 400 employees serving 85+ clients across the United States. Pivot Point Consulting has earned many industry and workplace quality awards including: Top three Best in KLAS for HIT Implementation and Support for four years running (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018), Highest Rated Vendor in KLAS Implementation Services in the Select Category (July 2017), #1 in KLAS for Epic Consulting in the Select Category (2016), #9
    in Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in 2016.

    For more information about Pivot Point Consulting, visit http://www.pivotpointconsulting.com. Follow us on
    LinkedIn.

    Contact Information
    Emily Brock
    Pivot Point Consulting, a Vaco Company
    http://www.pivotpointconsulting.com
    205-586-1366

    Posted 12.19.2019

  • A Fond Farewell, and Know You Are in Good Hands

    12.18.2019
    Cletis Earle, CHCIO, Chair, Foundation Board; SVP & CIO, Information Technology Kaleida Health

    The year 2020 is right around the corner, and the New Year will ring in new leadership on the CHIME Foundation Board. I would like to use this opportunity to thank my fellow CHIME Foundation Board members and our Foundation partners for all you have done for the Foundation and CHIME throughout the year, and to introduce your 2020 chair, Shafiq Rab. 

    This year we have looked for new and better ways to help CHIME members and Foundation partners collaborate to improve health and care. It has been a pleasure and honor to work alongside the other CHIME Foundation Board members to ensure the Foundation provides valuable networking, educational opportunities and resources for Foundation firms. Leaving such great colleagues is difficult, but I am confident my successor will be a fantastic leader.     

    Shafiq is the senior vice president and CIO at the Rush System for Health and Rush University Medical Center. Under Shafiq, Rush has become a leader in innovation, using tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve outcomes in Chicago’s communities. Both Shafiq and Rush have earned numerous honors and recognition for adopting and advancing cutting-edge technologies. Shafiq is well known in Washington, D.C, too, and is often invited to share his insights with federal policy makers.  

    Shafiq is also a physician, having earned a medical degree from Dow Medical College in Pakistan, and later a master’s degree in public health from Rutgers University. Yet more likely than not when colleagues meet him for the first time, he encourages them to call him simply by his first name, Shafiq. I call him Shafiq, and also my very good friend.  

    Have a wonderful holiday and New Year’s. While I will no longer be your chair in 2020, I will remain your champion. I look forward to seeing you at CHIME events and staying in touch throughout the year.     

    More Foundation Insight:

    Posted 12.18.2019

  • Invest in Yourself in 2020: CFCHE Credential Has Lasting Value

    12.18.2019
    Ashley Jester – Director, Professional Development

    As we turn the corner into 2020, CHIME Foundation is celebrating three years of existence, and 46 CFCHE designees. CHIME Foundation Certified Healthcare Executive (CFCHE) is a certification that you have access to as a CHIME Foundation partner. As those who have taken the CFCHE exam can attest, it is a challenging but worthwhile pursuit. CFCHE is the best way to set yourself apart in the industry when working with CHIME provider members. 

    “Take time to prepare as this represents hours of preparation” encourages Kelly Devine-Hollander, CFCHE, vice president of marketing and communications at Quil Health. The CFCHE exam is made up of 100 multiple-choice items and is meant to be a thorough test of your industry knowledge and experience. Giving yourself enough time to adequately prepare – ideally one to three months –is strongly advised. 

    CFCHE helps you gain a foothold in your professional development, whether that is testing your knowledge, differentiating yourself from others when connecting with CHIME members, or defining your expertise in the industry. For Devine-Hollander, the CFCHE as “a validation of my own knowledge.” 

    Now that she’s CFCHE certified, Devine-Hollander looks forward to 2020’s Foundation educational offerings, particularly updates on current legislation, trends and their impact on IT requirements. In 2020, CHIME and the CHIME Foundation will be expanding opportunities to earn continuing education units (CEUs) toward CFCHE certification and renewal, with even more relevant content geared towards Foundation partners’ educational needs. 

    If you’ve been considering CFCHE as a professional development move, 2020 is a great time to make your plans a reality. There will be several upcoming opportunities to take the CFCHE exam in person, the next being March 8 at 1 p.m. ET in Orlando, Fla., during the week of HIMSS. In addition, you can also take the exam at a local testing center, or online from the comfort of your home. 

    Please contact Ashley Jester, director of professional development, at [email protected] for more information about the CFCHE program. Learn more here about CFCHE and how you can make it part of your professional goals in 2020. 

    More Foundation Insight:

     

     

    Posted 12.18.2019

  • Retention More Critical than Recruitment, Say Healthcare HR Executives in Workforce Institute Survey

    LOWELL, Mass. , 

    A national survey conducted by The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated finds that healthcare professionals are satisfied in their current roles, but – as the current job market favors job seekers – keeping staff happy requires work. While healthcare leaders continue to focus on the widening skills gap to attract both seasoned healthcare workers and new entrants into the workforce, they must also commit to retaining good nurses, doctors, and IT staff by providing the tools and resources that empower them to perform at their fullest potential – something only 41% feel in a position to do today.

    To reveal what healthcare workers expect from an employer of choice, a study by The Workforce Institute and Regina Corso Consulting, “2020 Vision: Working in the Future of Healthcare,” measures employee satisfaction among registered nurses and IT professionals in healthcare and compares that with the steps HR executives say they are taking to recruit and retain best-fit talent.

    News Facts

    • Job satisfaction among nurses and hospital IT staff is stable, but HR says monitoring employee turnover and retention remains essential.
      • Is it more important to retain top performers than hire new ones? Nine out of 10 HR executives (91%) agree that retention is most important – and 7 in 10 hospital IT staff (71%) are satisfied by HR’s efforts to retain top performers within their department.
      • Nurses, however, do not feel as confident as their IT colleagues: Fewer than 3 in 5 nurses (57%) believe their organization is doing all it can to retain good nurses, and HR executives themselves admit only 18% of employees in their organization are “very satisfied” in their overall careers, compared to 70% who are generally satisfied and 12% who are dissatisfied.
      • Even so, more than half of hospital IT staff (56%) and nurses (53%) strongly believe their organization is a “great place to work,” with around 4 in 5 hospital IT staff (84%) and nurses (78%) feeling empowered at work; IT staff saying they are confident that managers have the resources they need to make effective decisions for their department (80%); and 2 out of 3 nurses (64%) trusting that their organization has their best interests in mind when implementing new work processes.
      • Overall, satisfaction – i.e. believing their organization is a “great place to work” – is highest among respondents with a longer tenure (62% of nurses with 20+ years in their role and 61% of IT staff with 10+ years in their role), and those working for a small healthcare organization (63%, compared to 56% of respondents working for a mid-size or large organization).
    • Top talent is selective: 3 in 5 agree it is “very important” to work for an employer of choice.
      • Most of all, nurses want good managers (68%) and hospital IT staff desire trust in their work (76%). Two-thirds of healthcare employees highly value competitive benefits (68% of IT staff, 66% of nurses) and workplace culture (66% of nurses, 64% of IT staff).
      • Although good pay is the No. 1 reason high performers join and stay at an organization, 9 out of 10 nurses say paid-time off is “very important” (91%), as is schedule flexibility (87%), competitive benefits (84%), and schedules that consider employee preferences (76%).
      • Healthcare workers also define an employer of choice as one that focuses on professional development and empowers clinical staff to positively impact patient care by working at the top of their license – both are “very important” to 7 in 10 nurses (71% and 70%, respectively).
      • However, just 2 in 5 HR executives say their organization provides management mentoring (44%), career development in the form of job shadowing or mentorship (31%), or has redesigned roles to allow for greater growth potential (29%).
    • HCM technologies can impact the future of work in healthcare, but only 1 in 5 HR executives are “very satisfied” with their current system.
      • Nearly half of nurses think employers should make scheduling easy (47%), with 2 in 3 saying it’s “very important” to be able to swap a shift with a co-worker (68%) and 3 in 5 stating they should be able to manage their schedule from a mobile device (61%). But only 1 in 5 strongly agree that the human capital management (HCM) technology deployed at their organization today is easy to use, and just 13% say it empowers them to perform to their fullest potential.
      • More than 4 in 5 of hospital IT staffers (84%) believe maintaining investments in HCM technologies is an important business decision, and, for nearly 2 in 5 (37%), this is “very important.”
      • Around half of HR executives say they currently prioritize investments in workplace technology that will help hospital staff perform to their fullest potential (52%), including themselves: They find modern HCM technologies help them do their own job better by tracking employee skills, certifications and licensures (56%), automating the recruiting process (55%), and integrating payroll with HR and workforce management tools (54%).

    Supporting Quotes

    • Joyce Maroney, executive director, The Workforce Institute at Kronos
      “More than ever, the frontline workforce has freedom to be highly selective among a sea of employers actively hiring for open roles. Good pay alone isn’t enough to attract high performers in healthcare or keep your best nurses from leaving. To maintain staff satisfaction and engagement, work culture really does matter: from ease of scheduling and flexibility to training and development opportunities. These things are critically linked to an organization’s ability to retain staff, as are HR’s efforts to help current employees understand what is being done to maintain staffing levels and, in turn, manage fatigue.”
    • Nanne Finis, RN, MS, chief nurse executive, Kronos
      “Technology and the need for innovation in healthcare is driving positive outcomes. Healthcare IT – once considered a back-office function – is now a business-critical infrastructure driving work efficiency and effectiveness. In many ways, it is a differentiator as today’s most intelligent HCM technologies are empowering organizations to deliver an attractive work culture and unlock the true potential of their workforce. As we begin a new decade in which we will see adoption of modern workforce technologies surge, the future of work in healthcare is more exciting than ever.”

    Supporting Resources

    About The Workforce Institute at Kronos

    The Workforce Institute at Kronos provides research and education on critical workplace issues facing organizations around the globe. By bringing together thought leaders, The Workforce Institute at Kronos is uniquely positioned to empower organizations with the knowledge and information they need to manage their workforce effectively and provide a voice for employees on important workplace issues. A hallmark of The Workforce Institute’s research is balancing the needs and desires of diverse employee populations with the needs of organizations. For additional information, visit www.workforceinstitute.org.

    About Kronos Incorporated

    Kronos is a leading provider of workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions. Kronos industry-centric workforce applications are purpose-built for businesses, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and government agencies of all sizes. Tens of thousands of organizations — including half of the Fortune 1000® — and more than 40 million people in over 100 countries use Kronos every day. Visit www.kronos.com. Kronos: Workforce Innovation That Works.

    ###

    Survey Methodology 
    Kronos Incorporated commissioned Regina Corso Consulting to conduct a survey of registered nurses (nurses), human resources executives (HR), and IT professionals (IT) who work in a healthcare setting to understand what their thoughts are around the future of work and what it means to be an employer of choice in healthcare. This survey is among 355 U.S. respondents in total with 152 who are a registered nurse, 101 who are an HR executive, and 102 who work in IT. All respondents work at either a hospital, large health system, or long-term care facility. This survey was conducted online in August 2019.

    © 2019 Kronos Incorporated. All rights reserved. Kronos and the Kronos logo are registered trademarks and Workforce Innovation That Works is a trademark of Kronos Incorporated or a related company. See a complete list of Kronos trademarks. All other trademarks, if any, are property of their respective owners.

    Posted 12.17.2019

  • SECTRA ANNOUNCES IMAGING CONTRACT WITH BJC HEALTHCARE

    Contact:
    Andrea Sowitch, Vice President of Marketing
    Sectra, Inc.
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Phone: 203 925 0899 ext. 268
    Torbjörn Kronander, President and CEO
    Sectra AB
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Phone: +46 705 23 5227

    Shelton, CT – December 16, 2019 – International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) will install its enterprise imaging
    solution throughout St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare. The Sectra offering, with tight integration to Epic Radiant, will provide a uniform and reliable system
    across 14 BJC hospitals, allowing for improved workflow optimization and enhanced patient care.

    BJC HealthCare is one of the largest non-profit integrated health care delivery networks in the United States, serving metro St. Louis, mid-Missouri and Southern
    Illinois. BJC includes Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the adult academic medical center affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine and the largest hospital in
    Missouri.

    “I am delighted to welcome BJC HealthCare into the Sectra family. The Sectra solution was designed to provide a standardized conduit for sharing, reading, and
    storing images within large delivery networks. I am hopeful BJC will recognize operational and clinical efficiencies in the near term as a result of providing a common
    system for all of its providers,” says Mikael Anden, President of Sectra, Inc.

    The five-year contract signed in October 2019 also includes Sectra Breast Imaging PACS for mammography workflow, advanced visualization tools, 2D and 3D
    orthopedic pre-operative planning, teaching files, and business analytics.

    The IT solution for handling radiology images (Sectra PACS), is a part of Sectra’s enterprise imaging offering. It provides a unified strategy for all imaging needs and
    improves patient outcomes while lowering operational costs. The scalable and modular solution is built on the same technical platform, which allows customers to
    easily extend a departmental system to create a comprehensive VNA.

    Epic and Radiant are registered trademarks of Epic Systems Corporation.

    About Sectra Imaging IT Solutions With more than 25 years of innovation and 1,800 installations worldwide, Sectra is a leading global provider of imaging IT solutions
    that support healthcare in achieving patient-centric care. Sectra offers an enterprise imaging solution comprising PACS for imaging-intense departments (radiology,
    pathology, cardiology and orthopedics), VNA, and share and collaborate solutions. Read more about Sectra and why Sectra PACS is “Best in KLAS” for a sixth
    consecutive year at https://medical.sectra.com/.

    Posted 12.17.2019

  • CHIME Honors Most Wired’s Top Tier in Most Improved, Small/Rural and Ambulatory Categories

    ANN ARBOR, MI, Dec. 17, 2019 – The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) recently spotlighted top performing healthcare organizations that participated in the 2019 CHIME HealthCare’s Most Wired survey. The organizations were honored for being best in class in three categories: most improved; small and rural; and ambulatory. 
     
    The Most Wired survey assesses the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in healthcare organizations. In 2019, CHIME expanded international outreach, added an ambulatory survey and introduced a performance excellence certification system using a Level 1-10 scale. Each participating organization received certification and CHIME also looked at total scores and performance to identify standouts in three categories: healthcare organizations that showed the greatest improvement from 2018 to 2019; small and rural organizations; and the top ambulatory organizations. They are:
     
    Most Improved
    • Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa;
    • Kaleida Health in Buffalo, N.Y.; and
    • Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in Los Angeles, Calif.
    Small and Rural
    • Cogdell Memorial Hospital in Snyder, Texas;
    • Bozeman Health in Bozeman, Mont.;
    • Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio; and
    • Mt. San Rafael Hospital in Trinidad, Colo.
    Ambulatory
    • University of California, Davis Health in Sacramento, Calif.;
    • Children’s Health in Dallas, Texas; and
    • UT Health Austin in Austin, Texas.
     
    “Most Wired is a measure of who uses their technological resources and talent in ways that best serve their patients, health organizations and communities,” said Bill Spooner, chair of the Most Wired Governing Board. “We are pleased to find that quality isn’t tied to one organizational type, size or location, and to give well-deserved recognition to leaders across the industry.”
      
    More information about the CHIME HealthCare’s Most Wired program is available here.
      
    About CHIME
     
    The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 3,200 members in 56 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners 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 care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.
     
    Contact
    Candace Stuart
    Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
    734.665.0000
     
    Posted 12.17.2019
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