Healthcare IT News - December 2008 - (Page 15)

www.HealthcareITNews.com HoSpItalS & IdNs December 2008 ■ Healthcare IT News 15 IT key to hospitals of future, says Joint Commission report By BeRNIe MoNeGAIN, Editor – The adoption of healthcare information technology is key to hospital viability in the future, The Joint Commission stresses in a new report it released last month. Health Care at the Crossroads: Guiding Principles for the Development of the Hospital of the Future urges hospitals to take steps to meet what the commission calls OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL New York Presbyterian “the daunting challenges” of older As they have been in the tHE NEWS: Joint ➔ Healthcare System and sicker patients, patient safety past, hospitals must be Commission report and the roundtable’s and quality of care, economics and equally transformative calls for more IT. chairman. as the future unfolds.” the work force. WHat It MEaNS: ➔ The commission’s “Hospitals have an “The importance of hospitalInﬂuential group raises recommendations are: based care will not diminish in the enduring role in the the bar on expectations. ■ Make the business future, but hospitals will have to delivery of healthcare meet the high expectations of the and have provided major contribu- case and sustainable funding for public and all stakeholders in an tions to enhancing the treatment widespread adoption of IT. ■ Redesign business and care proincreasingly challenging environ- of disease,” said Herbert Pardes, ment,” said Mark R. Chassin, MD, MD, president and CEO of New cesses in tandem with IT adoption. WilliamPhillipsAd-HIT-11:08.pdf 11/20/08 3:54:06 PM ■ Use digital technology for president of The Joint Commission.” York Presbyterian Hospital and the patient-centered hospital care and extend that care beyond the hospital walls. ■ Establish reliable authorities to provide technology assessment and technology investment guidance for hospitals. ■ Adopt technologies that save labor and integrate across the hospital. ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: FUtUre 1208 l eCoNoMy Continued from page 1 hospitals to finance facility and technology needs,” the AHA study stated. The AHA pointed to the increased costs of borrowing and the decreased access to financing as reasons for this. Jack Wolf, CIO at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, was in the midst of budget meetings at the end of November. He knows his budget will suffer cuts, he said – how severe, he isn’t sure. Montefiore runs an IT shop that provides IT services for other hospitals in the region as well for the Montefiore system. Wolf said when those hospitals decide to hold off on planned projects, it throws a monkey wrench in the careful planning for staffing. From Chris Sullivan’s point of view, the current state of the economy may be dismal, but it also presents some “tremendous opportunities” in the healthcare market because of technology’s potential for increasing revenue and reducC ing cost. Sullivan is U.S. health provider industry solutions direc-M tor for Microsoft. Y While he acknowledges barriers CM to adoption of healthcare informaMY tion technology exists, and “are probably being made much more CY acute,” whether a hospital adopts CMY new IT may depend on its CIO (some are innovators; others areK implementers, he says), and it certainly depends on the ROI – return on investment. Also, Sullivan suggests, it’s incumbent upon vendors to help their customers figure out what more they can do with what they already own and to drive adoption of technology within their user communities. “Hospitals will still spend money on tools that drive capacity and productivity, “ Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric, said during a recent GE Healthcare event. “I think the future is ruled by technical innovation and now’s the time to pour it on.” ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: eCoNoMy 1208 Real Conﬁdence in His Enterprise Solution Provider ■ in connecting care across hospital and clinic locations and clinicians ■ in improving patient safety and speeding care ■ in meeting Joint Commission and CMS initiatives William A. Phillips Vice President/CIO University Health System San Antonio, TX l Real Challenges. Real Solutions. Real Outcomes. Is your healthcare organization continuing to innovate in this down economy? send your comments to editor Bernie Monegain at bernie.monegain@ medtechpublishing.com. e l Connect: eCLIPSyS 1208 http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=10530 http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=10493 http://www.eclipsys.com http://www.eclipsys.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=10556

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Healthcare IT News - December 2008 Contents AHIC 2.0 Debuts See How It Works Monitored to Health Right Decisions Neurologist Needed HiMSS Insider: Four to the Board Heartened Generation Next Clinical Toolkit: Inpatient EMRs Management Solutions: Asset Tracking

Healthcare IT News - December 2008

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