Healthcare IT News - July 2008 - (Page 6)

6 Healthcare IT News ■ July 2008 industry news www.HealthcareITNews.com aha chief urges focus on efﬁciency, patient safety In keynote at HFMA event, he called for ‘change of debate.’ By rICHard PIzzI, Associate Editor LAS VEGAS – As politicians work to reform the U.S. healthcare system, healthcare itself should be viewed as a “national resource,” not simply as a business or a commodity, said a keynote speaker at ANI 2008, the annual conference of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, held here last month. Richard Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, said viewing healthcare as a national resource would “change the debate” on reform and could be a way to span contending ideological positions in Congress and industry. “The debate over reform will be highly charged in this political year,” said Umbdenstock. ”I’m not sure what the outcome will look like, and I won’t compare one bill against another at this point. What we need to do is build a broader private sector coalition and think about what’s best for patients and communities.” Without mentioning healthcare information technology, Umbenstock The AHA has also defined talked about goals typiits own principles for healthcally viewed as more readily care reform - a “national achievable with the increasframework for change.” ing use of both clinical and They are: a focus on business IT. wellness, most efficient and Umbdenstock said stakeaffordable care, highest holders in the healthcare Richard quality care, best informadebate should construct Umbdenstock tion, health coverage for all, their reform programs around safety, effectivness, patient- paid for by all. ■ centeredness, timeliness, efficiency More at HealthcareITnews.com and equity. e ●Connect: UMBDeNStoCK 0708 Searching for a solution to integrate your multi-site workﬂow? HFMa Continued from page 3 PRINT ARCHIVE EMR RIS ©Carestream Health, Inc. 2008. CR DR PACS Here’s an idea – how about seamlessly. Simply said, but rarely mastered in today’s radiology workﬂow environment. Until now. Carestream Health is on the cutting edge of digital imaging solutions and at the forefront of advanced information technology management – linking the two together is where we excel. “Getting the Most from Your IT Investment.” Ernst & Young timed the release of its CFO study with the conference. Among the findings: “A new technology arms race is underway, with many CFOs feeling record pressures to invest in new clinical and information systems. To pay for such systems, CFOs believe consolidations of hospitals may be necessary.” In his keynote talk, Richard J. Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, urged greater attention to IT. “We have not done as good a job in driving change in our IT realm as have other industries,” said Umbdenstock. He stressed that data held in individual healthcare IT systems should be transferable across systems, and said such interoperability could lead to more efficient and higher quality care. ■ Associate Editor Richard Pizzi contributed to this story. More at HealthcareITnews.com e Connect: HFMa 0708 ● HIMSS Continued from page 3 Bridging imaging science and information technology. We have pioneered integrations between advanced image visualization techniques and IT solutions that not only work, but help in creating a powerful community to ensure your team is focused and united. Our full digital portfolio includes CR, DR, laser imaging systems, along with RIS, PACS and archiving solutions. We can help you automate your workﬂow. Seamlessly. ‘08 AHRA7-31 2 July CO Denver, 01 Booth 5 Learn how to consolidate, unify and enable at www.carestreamhealth.com or 1-877-865-6325, ext. 655. president of education and organizer of the event, said the most popular sessions of this year’s summit were those related to CIO and CEO relationships, or the C-Suite. The summit previously has had a policy focus, she said. This year, among other offerings, HIMSS tried to address the support key leaders need when championing healthcare IT advancement. Justin Barnes, incoming chairman of HIMSS Electronic Health Record Vendors’ Association and vice president of government affairs at Greenway Medical Technologies, said the advocacy effort showed gains over past years. Congress and staffers seemed to be well versed in healthcare IT, he added. “All the education is truly starting to penetrate through the halls of Congress,” Barnes said. “You can clearly see that healthcare IT is at the top of the minds of Congress.” According to Barnes, there are more than 100 bills on the books for consideration that are healthcare IT related. ■ More at HealthcareITnews.com e Connect: HIMSS 0708 ● e ● Connect: CareStreaM 0708 http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://HealthcareITnews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9508 http://HealthcareITnews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9503 http://www.carestreamhealth.com http://HealthcareITnews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=9505 http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=9524

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Healthcare IT News - July 2008 Contents IT’s Financial Link eRx Power SOA Q&A Bent on Wireless Digital Switch IT Legacy Change Agent Panasonic 'Book' Taking a Shift Computer Types

Healthcare IT News - July 2008

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