Come See the Softer Side of Surgeons... iPads in the Operating Room

Apple released the iPad in April 2010 and reminded us that they practically own the differentiation concept. They beat out Sony in portable audio, are a strong competitor with Microsoft's PC, and have now began making an appearance in hospital operating rooms (OR). Georgetown University is leading a study along with assistance from the VCU School of Medicine to evaluate the benefits of the new technology of the iPad. GU and VCU are not the only ones making use of the iPad.

Based on recent reviews and the latest trends in pop culture -such as people posted up everywhere with the new touchscreen toy- it's safe to conclude that the iPad's portability, and various capabilities make it the go to tool in almost any environment.

It seems like a no-brainer if you can get capable software and programs in a smaller device for the surgeons benefit... of course, a patient would not mind. While size matters, according to the study the iPad's added benefit in the OR is the quality of its imaging and timely accessibility of those images.

The iPad shows pictures (e.g. x-rays... just thought I'd mention, because we sometimes forget that components of technology involve simple elements) with high quality color, brightness and contrast. Apple's iPad also uses IPS (in-plane switching) that allows an extremely wide viewing angle, so whether several medical team members are huddled around, or the surgeon is taking a quick look from a distance, you still get a nice view.

Come see the softer side of surgeons... Ladies and gentlemen, lets all welcome Apple, Inc. to the operating room.


http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/ipad-goes-or
http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/photos.html

"Google IT"??

I recently attended a seminar where it was brought to my attention that after the Sony Walkman and Sony Discman, Sony dropped the ball... Today, if you asked several people to fill in the following statement: "I was walking down the street listening to my ____", most of them would reply "iPod". Sony led the personal portable audio industry, until they failed to be innovative, and integrative.

Google is currently a leader in the information technology (IT) sector; more specifically among internet search engines. The realtively innovative company has sought to expand across several setors with its Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Finance, Gmail, and many other Google based services.

Riding the wave of the most recent healthcare funding in preventive health research, electronic medical records, and wellness tactics, Google has challenged providers in the healthcare IT world with its Google Health service. Google Health is a health management tool that allows users to store medical records, connect with healthcare providers, and assess wellness measurements. While its competitor, HealthVault, powered by Microsoft, currently leads the way with pleasing visuals, various established partnerships, and taking on some of the riskiest health information management issues, could it be that slow and steady still wins the race???

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/blog/google-hits-reset-button-google-health

Healthcare 'Hot Light'??

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Co. reveals their "Hot Light" in the late 1930s, and now in 2010, hospital Emergency Departments are capitalizing by using the same concept.

Earlier this month, I saw a billboard that said you could check online to see wait times for the Emergency Department (ED). I wondered if this was provided by a smartphone application. After further research, I learned that you can access the information by text message. So I asked myself "is it realistic to cater to the misuse of the ED to make money?"... Or take the route of making money while disciplining people financially by charging for triage, when in many cases the patient leaves before receiving full services. While triage is a necessary process mandated by HIPAA, businesses can't afford to expend resources for free.

Technological advancements coupled with the significant percent of the population that does not understand hospital operations may keep the doors wide open for this revenue generating tactic. SO LETS DO THE MATH... % of ED visits that become inpatient stays x (times) number of ED visits per unit of time measured - (minus) uncompensated care x (times) percentage of state compensation. You get the point...

In summary, while I do not agree with encouraging people to continue using the ED inappropriately for unscheduled, on the spot healthcare services when their condition does not warrant ED services, I understand that hospitals need strategies to survive. I realize that it is important to acknowledge your clientele, surrounding population, and streams of revenue to determine what works best for your organization.



Sidenote to the video: The wait times listed on the billboards actually give you the amount of time one would wait before being seen by a provider (i.e. nurse practitioner) to evaluate your condition. Wait time to see a physician and wait time to received needed services are entirely different concepts.

When your Best is Not the Best: Healthcare Information Systems

Recent studies show that top ranked healthcare information systems, that were once considered the 'best practices', are no longer yielding superior results. While these systems continue to provide the same services, and may have even been further configured to maximize output, healthcare goals have changed. In recent years, Emergency Department information systems have been designed with physicians and other clinical staff in mind. More recently, healthcare initiatives have shifted to benefit patients first, and then clinical staff. The question has gone from 1- How do I track the information while administering health to a patient? To... 2- How do I make the information readily available to the patient or their next provider, in order to facilitate accurate, and well informed follow up care?

Keep in mind that while systems' popularity with physicians has not been the complete focus of the health organizations', these organizations still strive to keep their physicians' and other clinical staff happy. Simply put, clinicians bring revenue. The shift in 'best practices' does not come easy, and is bound to be the next hot topic in employee satisfaction in the healthcare workplace.

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/ers-seek-enterprise-solutions

Combating the Effects of Leukemia via Webcam

Third grade student, Ahmed Hamdi was diagnosed with Leukemia over a year ago. Since his diagnosis, he's been combating his illness with... (yes, you guessed it) the help of information technology. Hamdi stays connected to the class and his classmates when he is at home and in the hospital with the help of a webcam program. Like many other students who are taken out of school for an extended period of time due to chronic medical conditions, Hamdi would prefer to be in school. Studies who that sick children can feel isolated when they return to school from treatment. According to Hamdi's physician, Dr. Aziza Shad, the tele-connection is a essential part of the recovery process, as socialization is critical.

ReWind...

On February 14, 2009 I created a post about electronic medical records (EMR), the Obama Administration and investing. The same day that I made that post, I spoke to a colleague to get his perspective on investing in Cerner, "the leading US supplier of healthcare information technology solutions". On Friday April 24th, 2009 to my surprise I learned that the stock increased from 38.64 a share in February to 47.5 a share. Originally, I asked if EMR could be as big as the Internet? In terms of being a revolutionary technological advancement, it could be compared to the internet. In term of stock, I'm thinking EMR can be compared to gasoline during the Bush Administration. Cerner stock, get some.

http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NASDAQ:CERN

Dept of Defense and VA Share Info Using EMR

The Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented a Joint Vurtual Lifetime Electronic Medical Record. The system is being used to streamline the transfer of health records between the two government agencies.
Medical and administrative information will be transferred with the use of the system. Furthermore, the electronic medical record (EMR) will allow the organizations to track the health records of military personnel throughout their respective careers.

The White House issued a statement asserting, "Access to electronic records is essential to modern healthcare delivery and the paperless administration of benefits". The implementation of the EMR will allow healthcare providers to have access to patient's medical history The medical information transfer system will facilitate the delivery of high-quality healthcare and reduction of medical errors.

http://tinyurl.com/dckwss

IT Application Manages Elderly Care

Medicare supplement plan provider, CareMore Health has incorporated an IT application as a part of its health maintenance services. The software provides care plans for seniors with chronic and acute illnesses. The incorporation of this program is intended to move the health care industry forward in integrated health care management.

President at CareMore Health Plan ,Leeba Lessin said the company will "further improve the uniformity and quality of care we provide. Early identification, coordination, intervention and member involvement are critical in an aging population." The system may decrease episodic or as needed health care and engage patients and clinicians in the prevention of health care issues.

The integration of the TriZetto's Clinical CareAdvance application will encourage the comprehensive management of the CareMore Health members' health conditions. The program is likely to serve as a model for a component of the United States' strive toward using IT to transform health care in America.


http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/california-plan-boosts-chronic-illness-management-it

Dr. David Bluementhal Spearheads U.S. Health Information Technology

Dr. David Bluementhal, former director of the Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, has been named the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology at the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Blumenthal will lead the Obama Adminstration's health information technology initiative to modernize healthcare.

The initiative will serve and a key component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
A bill to create jobs, restore economic growth, and strengthen America's middle class through measures that modernize the nation's infrastructure, enhance America's energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need, and for other purposes.

Dr. David Bluementhal also served as the founding chairman of AcademyHealth, the national organization of health services researchers, and was formerly a national correspondent for the New England Journal of Medicine. In the 1970s, he was a professional staff member on Sen. Edward Kennedy's (D-Mass.) Senate Subcommittee on Health and Scientific Research.

Health information technology is a critical part of the President’s strategy to reform our healthcare system and Dr. David Bluementhal is the first round pick. Will Bluementhal lead us through an IT Revolution that will bring on American recovery and equality?

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/david-blumenthal-named-new-national-coordinator-health-it
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1/show

The Robotic Arm

A robotic arm has been created to assist wounded soldiers in the midst of battle. The robotic arm can detect breathing, deliver health supplies and assess the fighter's health condition. The device is controlled with a joystick and is wireless (obviously). The original researchers from Carnegie Mellon are trying to include ultra sound capabilities on the device to detect internal bleeding. The idea is to not limit the bot to just health care but to expand its capabilities to search and rescue, bridge, bomb disarming, and much more.


http://i.gizmodo.com/5145874/cmus-robotic-arm-helps-medics-assist-wounded-soldiers-without-being-in-the-line-of-fire

Got a STD? Tell 'em in a E-card...

Have you ever gotten a STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection also known as a STD) and not told your partner? Many of you may be thinking "Absolutely not!", "OMG, I can't believe she would ask something like that!", and some of you may be saying "Ummm, yeah but...". The point is, we don't talk about this. Correction, we talk about sex, but we don't talk about our short comings or more specifically telling someone that we've learned that we have an STI and they may be infected.

So here's the new thing... STD e-cards. You can actually send an anonymous e-card that tells your sexual partner that you have an STD and recommend that they get checked out. This idea was developed when an epidemic of syphilis in a gay male population encouraged public health researchers to try another tactic. The idea came from the idea that the men wanted to tell their partners, but thought it was difficult to face them with the news. With the decrease in public health funding, e-cards have becoming a contemporary necessity, and according to recipients of the e-cards- it works!. These e-cards are getting the job done because all we want is awareness. So, if you answered "Ummm, yeah but...", or at least thought that you may have responded in a situation like that... this may be for you. Get it out there, get 'em tested.



http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/10/21/std.e-cards/index.html

What's with the Robot?

As hospitals have become more like businesses than sick care hostels, logistics and operation managers have worked diligently to improve overall hospital performance. Performance improvement tactics have included state -of- the-art facilities,electronic medical records, patient management software, and even a few flat screen television purchases. The new hype is all about Aethon's Automated Robotic Delivery Systems- also know as TUGs.

TUGs deliver medications, medical records, supplies, and even food in the hospital. TUGs can often be found dodging patients, employees and even laundry carts with the use of their obstacle navigation and detection system. They use the elevators and park closeby saying "waiting for an unoccupied elevator". Lets just say some people take advantage of their inability to have emotions. I would be pretty upset if everyone was hopping on the elevator that I'd been waiting for for over 5 minutes. However, with all that in mind TUGs still manage to make timely deliveries and impress the business managers. Your social work and humanities groups... not so much. I guess the humanitarian opinion is that TUGs are taking jobs...

What?! TUGs taking jobs? It is a given that they are doing a job that someone else used to manually do. The Aethon website says "the system helps hospitals streamline internal supply chain operations so that nurses and clinical staff can focus less on mundane tasks and more on providing the important human component of patient care". I believe that as the U.S. economy situation becomes worse and time goes on this cute little Robot may be taking over (a very small portion of) job activities.

For more info check out the site or peep the video.
http://www.aethon.com/how/default.php

Digital Health Care?

What is meant by digital health care? If you are like myself and just beginning your journey in the IT world (as a transition from health care alone), you may have been wondering "how are they going to treat patients digitally?". Okay, so they are definitely not delivering health care through the web. Health care companies are investing in technology to make the transfer of health information more efficient. The services will include electronic medical records (EMRs) and prescriptions. This integration is intended to decrease errors caused by paper documents, allow physicians to obtain information about their patients' medical history, and encourage patients to take more control of their health. Based on the U.S.'s need for improvement in health care and a President who actually gives a **** about it, hospitals may receive funding to jump start digital health care. Digitizing health care will have a big affect on life in general. Could it be as big as the Internet? Probably not, but it should be in the ranks with the go green campaign. According to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, the government will push digital health care forward through the use of bonuses and penalties to physicians and hospitals. From a health care administration perspective, EMRs may incentivize patients to choose hospitals that give them the freedom to easily access their medical records. Doesn't this stuff kinda remind you of the Jetson's?

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22026/

About the Mix and Mingle

Greetings,



My name is Sheena Pierce and I am a 24 year old aspiring health care administrator. I have a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and am anticipating the completion of my Master of Public Health in May 2009. While my inspiration for working in the health care industry stems from my love for helping others, I am interested in business management and how it can facilitate the advancement of health care services. My goal is to review relevant Health IT information, discuss my experiences, provide insight and comments, and entertain you-the reader. Thank you for visiting.