Healthcare IT News - November 2007 - (Page 10) 10 Healthcare IT News November 2007 ■ industry news www.HealthcareITNews.com How to simplify medication management in an age of stricter standards. you’re looking at and we can less of whether the patient is tell your intent.” famous. Continued from page 1 Suitor says the Clooney CHICAGO - The National AlBell, MD, director of ONC’s Office “It’s not just about celebprocess and establishes an addi- episode points out that liance for Health Information of Health IT Adoption. “A comrities – there are neighbors, tional level of authentication for today’s technology is workTechnology will help the Office mon understanding and use of family members and others viewing medical records. In addi- ing. Prior to the advent of of the National Coordinator in terms are essential for facilitating out there, too, who might tion, the compliance office audits electronic medical records, creating and securing definitions IT adoption.” want to look (at someone’s all access to medical records. he says, hospital administra- Robert Seliger surrounding key health informaPublic forums will also be held medical records),” he says. As someone logs on, Suitor says, tors would never be able to know for “There are computers and access tion technology terms. December through February in he or she is reminded of the sensi- sure who took a peek at a patient’s points all over hospitals these days, “A plethora of competing and Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. tive nature of a patient’s medical paper records. confusing definitions, with terms and Houston, where public comwhich is wonderful … but a hospital information – and that they’re being Robert Seliger, co-founder and has to know how to manage these.” often used interchangeably, is ments will be accepted. monitored. CEO of Sentillion, an access manimpeding progress in health infor- MORe At HealthcareITNews.com Robert Wolstra, vice president of “We are reading what you’re agement vendor, says hospitals have marketing and business developmation technology,” said Karen M. ●Connect: DeFINe 1107 e doing,” he says. “We can tell what to deal with security issues regard- ment for Encentuate, says hospitals are moving quickly to adopt new access management technology, “but to my surprise, we’re always running into new scenarios.” Vendors like Encentuate and Sentillion now offer solutions that not only verify a person’s identity, but also offer “strong authentication” to make sure the right people have access to the right information – in other words, says Wolstra, “to enforce the role that you have been assigned.” The burden, he says, is on the vendors to make access as easy as Hospira Medication Management Systems possible without affecting security. “You can always find loopholes,” he says. Device-Level Safety Controls Seliger, who testified before Congress last year on security and Specialty Infusion access issues following the theft Omni-Flow® of a laptop from the Department 4000 Plus Infusion of Veterans Affairs, says a hospital System has to balance immediate access to Pain Management medical records by medical personPlum A+®3 Infusion System nel with a patient’s right to privacy. To do this, administrators have to PCA have security and audit measures in Ambulatory Infusion place, and make sure everyone is well LifeCare PCA® Infusion System GemStar® educated on the issues. Hospira MedNet® Software Infusion Systems “Do not impede the care delivery process, but let it be known that GemStar® General Infusion patient records are monitored and Infusion Systems that there are policies in place,” he Symbiq™ Infusion System says. “The combination of technology and the right value system can’t single-handedly solve everyPlum A+® Infusion System thing,” but it does put a hospital on solid footing. “It is very difficult to practice Client Services respectful privacy and deliver healthcare these days while using IT to do both,” he added. According to Hirsch, there are no standards in place because there are so many EMR systems in use, each with different audit and tracking capabilities. And while organizations like the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel Leadership matters in every dimension of healthcare. (HITSP) identifies standards and specifications to keep patient Hospira’s integrated suite of medication infusion systems, “Hospira is unique in that they offer a very organized information secure in an electronic software and services can meet your hospital’s needs at environment, it’s up to the hospidesign structure and schedule. This approach helped minimize any stage of its technology roadmap, while helping you tals and healthcare providers to the anxiety, confusion and delays often associated with the comply with growing demand for tracking, reporting and mix the right amount of technolimplementation of technology systems.” standardization. More than simply a supplier of infusion ogy with education. - Pharmacy Manager, Jane Phillips Medical Center Palisades Medical Center officials pumps, Hospira has the experience and technology to have not publicly discussed their prihelp your hospital reduce medication errors and improve vacy protocols and what if any secuquality of care. rity IT is in place. Repeated calls to the hospital were not returned. “I think that they’re actually lucky that they only got suspended,” Hirsch said. ■ OMNI-FLOW 4000 PLUS Healthcare IT terms to be defined CLOONEY Learn more about Hospira Medication Management Systems at www.hospira.com e ● Connect: HOSPIRA 1107 © Hospira, Inc. P07-0862A MORe At HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: CLOONeY 1107 ● http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=8029 http://www.hospira.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.hospira.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=8013 http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=8083
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