Healthcare IT News - October 2007 - (Page 37)

www.HealthcareITNews.com October 2007 ■ Healthcare IT News 37 Through IT, public health agencies Track communicable diseases, improve population health for underserved community WELCOME GOLD NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS Nortel www.nortel.com/healthcare T he Illinois-National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (I-NEDSS)—one of two 2007 Nicholas E. Davies Public Health Award recipients—is a Web-based disease reporting and surveillance system designed to prevent, investigate and control communicable diseases and events in Illinois. Developed by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), I-NEDSS is the central repository for disease reporting, surveillance, case management, outbreak detection and management processes of data from all five sections of IDPH’s Division of Infectious Diseases: Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV/AIDS, Communicable Diseases, Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Tuberculosis. Utilized by all 95 local health departments and healthcare providers and laboratory staff throughout Illinois, I-NEDSS is designed for browser-based data entry and electronic importation of laboratory data. The system reduces the reporting burden on providers and improves the ability of state and local health departments to identify and track emerging infectious diseases and potential bio-terrorism threats; investigate outbreaks; monitor reportable communicable diseases; and provide data to improve stakeholders’ abilities to prevent and control diseases. Through the system’s Analysis, Visualization and Reporting functionality, state and local health department staff and providers access reports—for both transactional (new) cases and historical cases—in real-time against all data within their jurisdiction; data access is based on a user’s role, jurisdiction and disease access level. Prior to the development of I-NEDSS, disease reporting and surveillance were paper-based and not integrated throughout IDPH. Now, all I-NEDSS users have access to data that is accurate, consistent, complete and accessible as soon as a case is entered, allowing local and state health department staff to report and track events at the earliest point possible. In addition to day-to-day disease surveillance and control activities, INEDSS data is utilized for research, plan- ning and policy making throughout the state. At the Institute for Family Health (IFH) in New York City, also a 2007 Davies Public Health Award recipient, an electronic health record and practice management system has enhanced the services provided at a network of primary care practices serving the homeless, minority, uninsured and disadvantaged communities throughout the Bronx and Manhattan. Dedicated to developing innovative ways to provide primary health services to underserved urban populations, IFH treats patients who suffer disproportionately from an array of health problems prevalent in low income, urban areas, such as diabetes, hypertension, mental illness and substance abuse. With its Electronic Public Health Information Project, IFH became one of the first community health center networks in the nation to implement an EMR and practice management system in its network of ambulatory clinical sites. With its EMR system in place, IFH significantly enhanced the quality of patient care through tracking systems, best practice alerts (BPAs), and printable “visit summaries” and increased compliance with preventive care guidelines. Much of this improvement resulted from implementing BPAs, or clinical decision supports, triggered by evidence-based practice guidelines, such as annual pap smears, flu vaccines and blood sugar testing for diabetics. For example, a BPA for at-risk diabetic patients resulted in a 55% increase in the rates of referrals for ophthalmology appointments. IFH’s leadership recognized that, when utilized within the care of underserved communities, EHRs improve health outcomes, aid in the reduction of racially- and ethnically-based disparities and illustrate the importance of consistent, preventive care. The Davies Awards recognize excellence in the implementation and use of health information technology in three categories: organizational, ambulatory and public health. DAVIES AWARDS [continued on page 40] CSI Leasing www.csileasing.com Ecompex, Inc. www.ecompex.com Quammen Group www.quammengroup.com To learn more about the benefits of corporate membership, please visit www.himss.org or contact HIMSS Senior Director of Business Development Kelly Laidler 312-915-9285. KEYNOTE [continued from page 35] Steve Case— Chairman and CEO/Revolution Health Group Steve Case will bring his healthcare vision to HIMSS in his presentation on Revolution Health Group, a leading consumer-centric health company he founded to transform how people approach their overall health and wellness. Known to most as the co-founder of America Online (AOL), Case now chairs Revolution Health’s Board of Directors. Case will discuss Revolution Health’s focus on the individual, who is truly in charge of his or her own healthcare. Visit www.himssconference.org for more information on HIMSS08 and to register. ■ 2008 Interoperability Showcase: The 2008 Interoperability Showcase during HIMSS08, Feb. 24-28 in Orlando, is the place to see interoperability in action. By linking vital health information across clinical care settings, this interactive demonstration will illustrate the benefits of managing personal healthcare and show how interoperability can improve patient care. HIMSS08 attendees will track their EHRs using cutting-edge technology and standards. The Interoperability Showcase is the nation’s premier forum highlighting the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise’s common framework for delivering interoperability across local, regional and national health information exchanges. More than 3,600 attendees visited the HIMSS07 Interoperability Showcase. New to the Interoperability Showcase at HIMSS08 will be an expanded clinical look and feel. As attendees walk through this more customized exhibit, they will come upon plasma screens displaying photos of familiar settings within a physician’s office, such as the registration desk and examination room. Attendees will then track their personal EHRs through a cardiac care scenario. Demonstrating the benefits of connectivity HIMSS07 Interoperability Showcase HIMSS08 SPEAKERS [continued from page 36] Patricia Pritchett, general counsel at the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, P in Birmingham, received some .C. feeling of being humbled to realize that selection carries a responsibility to make a presentation that is conspicuously excellent.” Jonathan Manis, Sr. VP and CIO of Sutter Health in Sacramento, Calif., is excited by the The 2008 Interoperability Showcase will also feature a series of interactive theatres presenting education, success stories and information on national interoperability initiatives, including expanded, more integrated participation from the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP). For more information on the 2008 Interoperability Showcase, visit www.himssconference.org/exhibition/interop.aspx. Information about IHE is available at www.ihe.net. ■ feedback from her colleagues. “My colleagues in the IT Department here at our university told me I’ll be talking nonstop about all the things I learned at HIMSS08 for months and months following the conference,” she reported. Thomas R. Clancy, clinical professor at the University of Minnesota and VP of Professional Services at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, described the HIMSS Annual Conference as a “truly transdiciplinary conference." Lyman Dennis, CIO at Partnership HealthPlan of California in Fairfield, had a two- fold response to finding out his presentation was accepted. “The first reaction was pleasure, as many abstracts are submitted but few are chosen,” he pointed out. “The second was a dialog his and other presentations will create at the conference. "More than a venue to showcase accomplishment or simply share knowledge, a presentation to a HIMSS audience provides the ideal forum for professional peer review and often exposes new ideas to spirited discussion, reasonable debate and honest disagreement—all for the advancement of our discipline,” he said. These speakers represent only a small portion of the informative speakers who will present the latest information for the industry at HIMSS08. To find out more about the exciting educational opportunities available at this year’s Annual Conference, visit www.himssconference.org. Complete education program descriptions will be posted to the HIMSS08 Web site in mid-October. ■ Applications now being accepted for 2008 MS-HUG Healthcare Innovation Awards Each year, MS-HUG and the Microsoft Corporation partner to produce an awards program recognizing healthcare organizations and individuals who exhibit the best use of Microsoft-based products, as well as independent software vendors and systems integrators who develop solutions on Microsoft technology for the healthcare industry. Applications for the 2008 MS-HUG Healthcare Innovation Awards, which must be submitted online, are now being accepted at www.mshug.org/awards. The Web site also features the official entry form and rules and regulations. Healthcare organizations are uniquely positioned to improve the quality and delivery of healthcare through innovations based on evidence-based medicine and smart technology solutions. The MS-HUG Healthcare Innovation Award Program is an opportunity to showcase how organizations are using technology to enhance and transform the quality of patient care; reduce costs; streamline clinical and business processes; drive interoperability; improve productivity and workflow; and enable informed decisions. For more information, contact Monika Skibeness at v-moniks@microsoft.com. ■ http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.csileasing.com http://www.nortel.com/healthcare http://www.ecompex.com http://www.quammengroup.com http://www.himss.org http://www.himssconference.org http://www.himssconference.org/exhibition/interop.aspx http://www.himssconference.org/exhibition/interop.aspx http://www.ihe.net http://www.mshug.org/awards http://www.himssconference.org http://www.himssconference.org http://www.mshug.org/awards

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare IT News - October 2007

Healthcare IT News - October 2007 Contents Global Harmony Telegrowth New Rules Keeping Tabs What's Free? PHR of Its Own Intelligent Closing Practice Management Paper Tiger

Healthcare IT News - October 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.