From Tyrone C. Earl: "Re: Pyxis. 800 people laid off today. The regional manager came in today to tell us that one of the people was our PM for our go-live this week (nice timing). He said we had to wait two hours before we told anyone." The company just announced that it will eliminate 1,300 jobs when it spins off CareFusion. The announcement mentioned 800 layoffs, so maybe that’s not a coincidence.

From Eclipsys Layoffs, aka A Passage to India: "Re: Layoffs. Once again the ‘leadership’ at Eclipsys has cut 100 (give or take) positions. So what exactly have Eclipsys stockholders gotten from Andy’s multi-million dollar leadership team? Lower stock price, fewer sales, and an employee base that’s being slowly exported to India." Unverified, although someone I know got the axe and also gave the 100 number, mostly from development, and also said that development SVP Joe Petro resigned (but he’s still on the Web page, so I’m not sure about that). I would blame the economy more than the company.

From Alexander B. Fitzhugh: "Re: BearingPoint. Healthcare consulting (which consists of the Federal, Provider and Payor practices) is part of the Public Services business unit. The information in the link you provided is correct, Deloitte intends to buy PS. According to Kelvin Womack (VP and sector lead for Healthcare), almost all employees within Healthcare are going to move over to Deloitte."

From Anony: "Re: GE. Harrison Hospital (Bremerton, WA) selects GE Centricity for its 25 hospital physicians. Also purchased were 100 licenses for a community Stark offering and GE’s Health Information Exchange (HIE). Expect a press release in the next week."

From Kat & Mouse: "Re: McKesson layoffs. A good source states the layoff was around 600. The source was one of them, given severance and time to find new job. Source stated that McK had over-expanded last year – nothing to do with issues related to the stimulus." Unverified.

From Yancy Derringer: "Re: KPIT. Insiders say 400 more will be let go in June. The IBM announcement was rumored the day the new CIO came to KP because he did the same thing in his last two jobs (both outside healthcare) and the new VP he hired did the same." Props to Dr. Mark Craig, who rumor reported to me in October 2007, "The prevalent rumor is that the new CIO and his new hires are on an outsourcing train and the train is powered by IBM.”

 

From The Beeb: "Re: Second Life used to teach doctors." Link. Imperial College London’s interactive hospital simulation is used to teach third-year med students. The on-screen characters resemble faculty members, students review recordings of real-life patient breathing, and the game stops if students forget to wash their hands.

From New York Cynic: "Re: move. Lori Evans, 39, rising Health IT star Deputy Commissioner 4 NY Office of Health Information Technology Transformation has left after only 2 years and is positioning herself for her next move. Although she was anticipated to be CEO of the National eHealth Collaborative, this has been put on hold as the role of NeHC is in question under the stimulus plans policy committee. Her connections to the previous administration (Brailer) precludes any position with the current administration or ONC but watch for some serious re-branding to occur."

From People Love to Gamble: "Re: prize. What prize will you be giving to the 2 millionth visitor to the site? " I like the idea, but there’s no way to identify who the visitor is. And, it looks like I’m out of time to think about it since the magic number will be reached sometime Wednesday or Thursday at the usual rate. It’s a good time for me to thank the people who read and sponsor HIStalk. I remember with total clarity when I was thrilled to look at the e-mail list and see 31 subscribers (now at 4,000) and to see that long-awaited first thousand page views (now at over 3 million). I’m just as thrilled and surprised now.

Listening: Crack The Skye, the new release from Mastodon, the Grammy-nominated, 70s-sounding (Sabbath meets Green Carnation) new wave heavy metal that covers Stephen Hawking, Czarist Russia, and astral travel. Diggin’ it.

If you RSVPed and are coming to the reception Monday, we’ll probably start our little program at around 7:45 or so (the event runs 7 until 9). We’re playing it by ear, but I was thinking that leaving some networking time afterward would be fun since we may recognize a few people from the podium that you’ll want to chat with. And if you have signed up, please make sure to respond the confirming e-mail from Ingenix since we’ve got waitlisted people who would be happy to take your spot if you can’t make it after all. I’m heading out to Chicago early, so I will report from there starting Saturday evening, enjoying the snow and freezing (not).

Speaking of HIMSS, here’s our list of who you should see in the exhibit hall, those sponsors who keep the presses pressing right here. These are the cool people. Want a nice, printer-ready copy perfectly formatted for taking along? Here you go. Tell them thanks for sponsoring HIStalk, will you?

Among those companies making the short list to provide a new national pathology system for Wales: Cerner and InterSystems.

Over on HIStalk Practice, we did an "HIT Moment with …" Michael Stearns, president and CEO of e-MDs.

A nice piece on Cleveland Clinic’s HealthVault pilot, highlighting one hypertensive patient’s experience. Says a doctor there: "We’ve not been connecting as well as we should have. I think this is where the future is."

Nicholas Casabona is promoted to CIO of Winthrop-University Hospital (NY).

Rich Temple, CIO at AristaCare Health Services (NJ), tells me he’s signed a contract to implement business intelligence tools from ABS System Consultants as the Canadian company’s first US LTC customer.

Quest Diagnostics is quietly releasing a free iPhone application that will run the Care360 physician portal of its subsidiary, MedPlus.

E-mail me.

HERtalk by Inga

From Clueless: "Re: What to wear? Inga – can you advise re: dress code at the HIStalk/Ingenix soiree?" Good question. As Mr. H babbles on about recommends which education sessions to attend, I am glad that someone has the good sense to be asking the important questions. So, always start with the shoes. The weather on Monday is currently forecast for a high of 39 degrees and rainy, with snow and freezing weather by the evening. Clearly not conducive to high-heeled stilettos, which would be the preferred footwear for such a festive occasion. Unless you are staying at the Trump Hotel and simply taking an elevator to the party, such shoes will be a challenge. If you bring a large purse, you could always change out of your ugly shoes and into elegant footwear once you arrive at the hotel. But, gentle reader, I will let you figure that out those logistics. Once you settle on shoes, nothing else really matters. However, I will say that last year we had everything from lovely cocktail dresses and suits to those just-off-the-exhibit-floor khakis with tacky golf shirts that shout the name of one’s employer and are ill-fitting on 90% of all wearers. Don’t worry if you are appropriately dressed. We really just want you to have fun and say very loudly how much you love Mr. H and Inga. 

  

From Confused: "Re: Pink pants at HIMSS….Is this going too overboard? We want to stand out, but I think this might be pushing it. Currently we plan on wearing black t-shirts with the following logo and khaki pants. Your feedback is greatly appreciated." After suggesting to Confused that only real men can wear pink, Confused said that was enough of a challenge to his team’s collective manhood that they decided the pants were a go. I’m hoping they’ll show off the fancy pants at our HIStalk/Ingenix gathering.

From Pacstech: "Re: RealAge Response. Thought this might interest you. I thought the same thing as New York Cynic after taking their ’survey,’ carefully opting out of any offers (many) to have them send me health related info." Pacstech forwarded us a copy of a note he received from the RealAge people, who claim the information people provide "is never shared" with advertisers or anyone else, though if you opt for e-mail offers, you will get links from advertisers. I asked privacy rights advocate Dr. Deb Peel for her take on the note and here was her response: "The most important point is how can we trust them or any other health-related website? They all say they never do anything wrong, but where is there any objective evidence, proof of what they say, or certification by an independent outside consumer-led certification organization?  No trust without verification. Those who handle Americans’ sensitive personal data all promise great things but when it comes to our MOST sensitive personal information (health information) we need verification. (We are trying to launch our privacy certification later this year.)" All I can say is that I took the RealAge test a few months ago and was pleased how it so accurately shaved several years off of my not-real age.

The ever-humble Mr. H hasn’t mentioned this recently, but it looks like HIStalk will hit the 2,000,000 visitor milestone by the end of the week. Mr. H is the genius behind HIStalk, so if you are a fan, send him a congrats, kudos, felicitations, or a thatta  boy. And thanks for reading.

Eclipsys announces that Lahey Clinic will implement the Sunrise suite of clinical products for its two-hospital delivery system. Lahey will also add Eclipsys’ clinical and financial decision support solutions.

West Carroll Memorial Hospital (LA) implements Healthland’s EMR solution for its 33-bed hospital.

Motorola and Vocera sign a joint marketing deal to offer the Vocera system on Motorola’s VoWLAN smartphones.

We interviewed Linda Peitzman, MD, CMO of Wolters Kluwer Health Clinical Solutions, on HIStech Report.

British doctors find that using maggots to treat leg ulcers is just as effective as using gel. Both are similar in cost, but the maggot alternative is a viable option for remote areas without access to good medical care. Unfortunately, the maggot treatment is more painful. Ick.

Suburban Hospital Healthcare System (MD) selects McKesson’s Horizon Clinicals and revenue management solutions.

An engaged front-line team, supported by an electronic health record and a clinical care registry, is credited with reducing the deaths of patients with coronary health disease by 73 percent, according to the results of a Colorado program piloted by Kaiser Permanente. The pilot care program linked pharmacists, nurses, primary care physicians, and cardiologists and included such tactics as proactive patient outreach, education, lifestyle adjustments and effective medication management.

AT&T and Mednet Healthcare Technologies partner to help doctors and patients remotely monitor heart arrhythmia through personal mobile devices. Using Mednet’s HEARTRAK External Cardiac Ambulatory Telemetry solution, heart monitor data is transmitted via Bluetooth-enabled cell phones.

Western Maryland Health Systems (MD) plans to implement Agfa Healthcare’s IMPAX Cardiovascular imaging and information management solution when it opens its new Regional Medical Center later this year.

Streamline Health Solutions announces that a "leading West Coast university-affiliated surgery department" will implement its enterprise document management and workflow solutions. The "unnamed" university is easy to identify if you view the link to the press announcement. This is the second time we’ve noticed Streamline declining to name their client in the actual release, but revealing it in the link. Perhaps they are intentionally revealing the client’s identify in this subtle way so people like me can feel like a smarty-pants.

Blood Centers of America endorses Mediware’s blood center technology product strategy. Member blood banks will now have access to special Mediware pricing.

Kaiser fires 15 hospital workers and disciplines another eight for peaking at octomom Nadya Suleman’s medical records. Suleman’s attorney suspects the employees were trying to find information on the sperm donor.

After paying contractors billions to create the DoD’s AHLTA military EMR system, officials introduce a plan to re-shape the system. The new strategy seeks to improve provider satisfaction, improve reliability, and strengthen data sharing throughout the DOD and the VA.

Oakwood Healthcare System (MI) selects PatientKeeper to streamline physician access to its clinical information.

E-mail Inga.

McKesson announced this morning that Pamela J. Pure, executive vice president and president of McKesson Technology Solutions, has left the company as of yesterday. No reason was given for her departure and no replacement was named.

 

Allscripts

Booth 1303

Contact:
Todd Stein, Senior Manager/Public Relations
312-506-1216
todd.stein@allscripts.com

The new Allscripts is the clear leader in software, services, information and connectivity solutions that empower physicians and other healthcare providers to deliver best-in-class patient safety, clinical outcomes and financial results. Nationwide, more than 150,000 physicians, 700 hospitals and thousands of other healthcare providers in clinics, post-acute care facilities, and homecare agencies utilize Allscripts solutions to automate and connect their clinical and business operations. Together with our clients, Allscripts is transforming our disconnected ‘healthcare’ system into a connected system of ‘health.’

Allscripts Says: Do you know why The Time Is NOW to adopt electronic health records? Learn more about the Stimulus incentives at the Allscripts booth (1303) at HIMSS. We’ll be talking about why you should begin taking steps NOW toward implementation.

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API

Booth 2007

Contact:
Jim Klink, VP of Sales
262.670.2711
jim.klink@apihealthcare.com

API Healthcare is the leading provider of human capital management solutions to the healthcare industry including time and attendance, staffing and scheduling, patient classification, payroll, human resource, and business intelligence. Founded in 1982, API Healthcare has more than 600 installations in the North America, with clients ranging in size from 500 employees to more than 30,000 employees. The company’s Payrollmation® system has been rated by KLAS as the top time and attendance system for the last seven years.

API Says: As the experts in optimizing human capital management in the healthcare industry, we can help with some of your most pressing business concerns: minimizing labor costs, increasing employee satisfaction and improving patient outcomes.

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ATT

Booth 612

Contact:
Tammi DeVore, Sr Healthcare Marketing Manager
206.422.2416
tammi.devore@att.com

www.att.com/healthcare

AT&T Mobility is the leader in healthcare communications, combining innovation and industry experience to use technology in new ways and in new places. We are committed to helping you transform healthcare delivery by wirelessly enabling clinician workflow. Using our ecosystem of alliance vendors, AT&T provides products and services that meet your goals of improved patient care and business productivity.

AT&T Says: Discover new ways to mobilize your clinicians, launch new telehealth solutions, and integrate devices within the Healthcare enterprise system. Interact with innovative technologies, speak with specialists and discuss unique solutions for your organization.

AT&T will demonstrate cellular and WiFi communication solutions for healthcare providers which enable delivery of real-time data via smartphones and other mobile devices. These solutions include Enterprise Paging, Results Reporting, Alerting, ePrescribing, Physician Portals, Homecare, Decision Support and Communications for healthcare professionals. All solutions serve to improve the quality of care and improve the efficiency of operations.

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Caretech

Booth 7030

Contact:
Jody Meehan Director, Marketing & Communications
(248) 823-0900
www.caretechsolutions.com
jody.meehan@caretechsolutions.com

CareTech Solutions, Inc., an Information Technology and Web Products & Services provider for hospitals and health systems, is committed to creating value for clients through customized, flexible solutions that contribute to improving patient care while lowering healthcare costs. From implementing emerging technologies to supporting day-to-day operations, CareTech offers clients expert services across the entire patient data lifecycle.

CareTech Soluions Says: CareTech Solutions won a coveted 2008 Best in KLAS award for the IT Outsourcing (Extensive) market segment, as ranked by healthcare executives and professionals in the 2008 Top 20 Best in KLAS Awards report. CareTech’s Best in KLAS distinction follows the company’s achievement of market-leading overall performance scores in KLAS’ 2008 Extensive IT Outsourcing Study.

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Cumberland Consulting Group

Booth 4475

Contact:
Jim Lewis
Managing Partner
(615) 373-4470
jim.lewis@cumberlandcg.com
www.cumberlandcg.com

Cumberland Consulting Group is a national technology implementation and project management firm serving ambulatory, acute, and post-acute healthcare providers. Through the implementation of new technologies, we help our clients advance the quality of care they deliver, and improve their business performance. Cumberland is also a great place to work, placing fifth on Consulting Magazine’s 2008 ranking of America’s Best Small Firms to Work For.

Cumberland Consulting Group Says: Learn about a new alternative. We are a relatively new company with an excellent delivery record and a lean operating model that allows us to deliver big company results at a very attractive price. Our clients appreciate our business approach and the small firm commitment and attention we provide. We love our work and we take the success of our clients very personally.

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dbMotion

Booth 2603

Contact
Eclipsys Corporation
Three Ravinia Drive
Atlanta, GA 30346-2156
Toll-free: (800) 869-8300
PeakPractice Sales: 877-633-6683 x657

As The Outcomes Company®, Eclipsys offers advanced integrated clinical, revenue cycle and performance management software, clinical content and professional services that help healthcare organizations achieve improved clinical, financial and operational outcomes.

Eclipsys Says: Visit Eclipsys in Booth #2603, Hall A, during HIMSS09 to see how real organizations with real challenges are using our solutions to drive performance and improve outcomes. In addition to our Sunrise Enterprise ™ solution suite, we’ll showcase our Web-based Eclipsys Practice Solutions, the cost- and resource-efficient practice management and EMR solutions, along with our new Eclipsys Performance Management solutions—(Sunrise EPSi™, Sunrise Clinical Analytics™, Sunrise Patient Flow™) that create actionable information to guide the timely, enterprise-wide intervention critical to positive performance.

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e-MDs

Booth 4459

Contact:
Andrea Lesh, VP of Sales & Marketing
512-257-5200
www.emds.com
sales@e-mds.com

e-MDs is a leading developer of healthcare software solutions, including clinical, financial and document management modules designed to automate medical practice processes and chart management. With e-MDs, medical practices can visit, code and bill with a single application. e-MDs – Charting The Future of Healthcare.

e-MDs Says: Come see the integrated EHR/PM solution Top Ranked by medical societies, including the AAFP and ACP, for its Functionality and Ease of Use. Get a hands on demonstration of the most flexible, scalable and user friendly solution on the market today, and ask about our “next generation” product line coming very soon.

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Enterprise Software Development

Booth 7927

Contact:
Joseph Torti, President
5151 Monroe St. Suite 101
Toledo, Ohio 43623
www.enterprisesoftwaredevelopment.com
419-841-3179
jtorti@enterprisesoftwaredevelopment.com

Enterprise Software Development is a leading independent consulting firm dedicated to assisting healthcare organizations with their diversified business and Information Technology needs. Our services and solutions include IT management consulting, supplemental staff augmentations, clinical and system transformation, implementation and integration, as well as education and training in Cerner^®, Siemens^®, Epic^®, Eclipsys^®, MEDITECH, and McKesson systems.

Enterprise Software Development, LLC Says: Stop by and learn how our consultants allow your staff to focus on what they do best and help you make sure you have the tools you need to implement facility wide configuration, project planning, and training for executing your new or upgraded system. Our consultants can integrate with your staff at a professional level and compliment your team. We are a simple solution with a personal touch to your Clinical transformations.

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GetWellNetwork

Booth 3413

Contact:
Michael Schram, VP, Sales
240.482.3200
mschram@getwellnetwork.com
www.getwellnetwork.com

GetWellNetwork works with leading hospitals to engage patients in their care. Transforming in-room televisions into an interactive resource, patients are invited to get involved in their education, safety, service, discharge preparation, and more. The result is first felt by patients, then measured in improved satisfaction, quality and operational performance.

GetWellNetwork Says: Stop by our booth at 11:15 am on Tuesday for a special presentation with Russ Branzell, Chief Information Officer at Poudre Valley Health System, and find out about the impact that Interactive Patient Care is having on their care process and IT operations.

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Greenway

Booth 3910

Contact:
Rebekah Green, Marketing Analyst
866.242.3805
info@greenwaymedical.com
www.greenwaymedical.com

Greenway Medical Technologies is a leading provider of an integrated, single-database electronic health record (EHR), practice management and interoperability solution for physician practices and hospital community EHR strategies. Greenway’s CCHIT Certified® 08 ambulatory EHR solution, PrimeSuite® 2008, streamlines a practice’s clinical, financial and administrative processes while increasing practice profitability.

Greenway Medical Technologies Says: With the recent passing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 “the stimulus bill”, physicians and medical practices have more incentive now than ever before to adopt an EHR solution. Greenway Medical solutions are designed to maximize return on investment while enhancing the quality of care physicians can provide their patients.

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Healthcare Growth Partners

Booth 3081

Healthcare Growth Partners provides investment banking and strategic advisory services to small and mid-size, high-growth companies with an exclusive focus on healthcare information technology and technology-enabled services. With this focus, the firm leverages its experienced management team, strong execution capabilities, and deep network of contacts within the industry to provide efficient and high value processes for clients.

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Informatics Corporation of America (ICA)

Booth 3476

Contact:
John Tempesco
Vice President, Client Services and Marketing
Main Office (615) 866-1465 – Cell (803) 351-8161
www.icainformatics.com
john.tempesco@icainformatics.com

Informatics Corporation of America (ICA) was created with nationally renowned Vanderbilt Medical Center to take innovative technology developed by Vanderbilt physicians to the broader healthcare market. Today ICA is unmatched in its ability to deliver a cost-effective, proven solution that leverages complete data across clinical settings to aid decision-making and improve patient outcomes.

ICA Says: Drop by the ICA booth and talk to Dr. Jonathan Anderson of the Health Information Exchange of Montana about how physicians use the ICA solution to improve care in northwest Montana.

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Ingenix Consulting

Booth 626

Contact:
800-765-6897
impact@ingenix.com
www.ingenix.com
www.ingenixconsulting.com

Ingenix is a leading technology company working to improve healthcare through the power of information. Ingenix helps to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and quality in thousands of payer, hospital, physician, employer, and public sector organizations. Ingenix Consulting is a premier, data-driven health and human services consulting organization.  We have over 1,000 consultants with experience working with hospitals, physician practices, health plans, employers, government agencies and pharmaceutical companies.  This scale and exclusive health and human services focus set us apart.

Ingenix Says: See for yourself how our combination of information, technology and expertise can help you improve quality while reducing administrative burdens, meet the challenge of ever-expanding regulations, and thrive in a down economy. Stop by booth #626 to watch a presentation by one of our industry experts or to chat about your challenges.

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McKesson

Booth 1213

Contact:
Joey Nord
McKesson
5995 Windward Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30005
404-338-2414
Joey.nord@mckesson.com
www.mckesson.com/mpt

McKesson is a leader in software, automation, services and consulting to hospitals, physician practices, imaging centers, homecare agencies and payors. We also provide interactive connectivity services that streamline clinical, financial and administrative communication for healthcare stakeholders. The result? Care that is safer, more efficient, and better connected.

McKesson Says: McKesson experts will be available to discuss: healthcare IT incentives included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and possible implications for hospitals and health systems; how IT can help improve care quality and productivity; eligibility and coding solutions that can positively affect cash flow and financial performance now; services to leverage existing IT and enable you to prepare for the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program, manage the audit process and mitigate future risk.

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Medicity

Booth 4443

Contact:
Greg Miller, Sr. Vice President Sales & Marketing
(801) 322-4444
www.Medicity.com
Sales@medicity.com

Medicity is the market leader enabling clinicians to access, exchange, share and collaborate with patient-centric clinical information located in disparate systems across multiple care locations. By leveraging Medicity’s Care Collaboration Platform, physicians, hospitals and Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) optimize clinical workflow, enhance patient safety and deliver cost-effective, efficient healthcare to patients and communities.

Medicity says: Medicity’s unique single point of access to clinical data, aggregated from disparate systems across care locations, empowers hospitals, health systems and HIE’s to deliver superior quality, more cost-effective, highly efficient and better coordinated healthcare.

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MEDSEEK

Booth 1238

Contact:
Rich Grehalva, SVP Marketing & Consulting Svcs.
www.medseek.com
rich.grehalva@medseek.com

MEDSEEK provides healthcare organizations with enterprise eHealth solutions to fully engage and strengthen relationships with key constituents – physicians, patients, employees, and consumers. By connecting information and communities to foster an enhanced experience with the organization, hospitals will improve community advocacy, revenue and patient acquisition/retention, physician relations, and clinical decision making.

MEDSEEK says: Enhancing the experience is an expectation of all users within the healthcare community. A key to improving revenue while decreasing expenses is through the effective use of enterprise eHealth solutions. Visit us at HIMSS in Chicago to learn how we are improving the overall experience of patients, consumers, clinicians, physicians and employees, and to hear details about our HIE/RHIO solution.

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NextGen

Booth 1242

Contact:
NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc.
215-657-7010
http://www.nextgen.com/
sales@nextgen.com

Hospitals and practices use NextGen because we offer the market’s leading ambulatory EHR and practice management system, featuring interoperability with numerous inpatient systems, specialty content to ensure fast user adoption and standardized data capture, and enterprise architecture to support large, multi-specialty sites. Increase your operational efficiencies with a NextGen® system. Visit us at HIMSS booth #1242 and at the Interoperability Showcase.

NextGen Says: Learn from Next Healthcare how your hospital or practice can take advantage of reimbursements and grants that are available through the healthcare stimulus bill. Our government affairs department, and our grants and funding team are staying abreast of the latest developments. Grant money is now available for Indian Health Centers and for non-profit Community Health Centers. Find out how NextGen can help you.

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Nuance

Booth 1448

Contact:
Elizabeth Swanson, Marketing Assistant
781-656-4300
elizabeth.swanson@nuance.com

The eScription platform from Nuance Healthcare is the leading software for computer aided medical transcription. With eScription, intelligent speech recognition software turns clinician dictations into formatted draft documents that medical transcriptionists-whether in-house or outsourced-quickly review and edit, often doubling productivity, reducing turnaround times, and cutting costs. Customers are continually satisfied with the eScription platform, resulting in a "Best in KLAS" award for the past five consecutive years!

Nuance Says: Come by the Nuance booth to see speech recognition solutions that can help your healthcare organization save costs and increase efficiencies such as the 5-time, Best in KLAS award winner, eScription.

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PatientKeeper

Booth 2917

Contact:
Lauren Tilelli, Marketing Programs Manager
617-987-0465
www.patientkeeper.com
ltilelli@patientkeeper.com

PatientKeeper software improves patient care with a single information environment for physicians—available anytime, anywhere. We make this possible with integration technology that unites patient information across hospitals, physician practices, and communities. With PatientKeeper, hospitals and their physician communities are better aligned—to improve clinical efficiency, achieve patient safety goals and a healthier financial bottom line.

PatientKeeper Says: PatientKeeper says to stop by their booth to learn how you can extend your existing IT investment with hospital and community-wide connectivity – to improve physician affinity and establish a foundation for HIE. Also learn how PatientKeeper’s revenue cycle applications are helping facilities improve cash flow and uncover missing charges.

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Premise Corporation   
(now part of Eclipsys)

Booth 2603 (Eclipsys)

Contact:
www.PremiseUSA.com
www.eclipsys.com

Premise Corporation, the nation’s leading provider of enterprise-wide, clinically focused patient flow solutions, is now part of Eclipsys – and Premise solutions are now Sunrise Patient Flow^TM. Endorsed by the AHA and used by dozens of top-ranked and magnet facilities, Sunrise Patient Flow is the only patient flow solution that provides automated workflow and communications coupled with clinical visibility in a single system – a unique combination that drives key performance improvements while also ensuring the highest quality care. And, now with more resources and a comprehensive portfolio of products, we’ll not only help you drive efficient patient flow processes, we’ll also help you achieve real outcomes in operational performance.

About Eclipsys
Eclipsys is a leading provider of advanced integrated clinical, revenue cycle, and performance management software, clinical content and professional services that help healthcare organizations improve clinical, financial, operational and client satisfaction outcomes. For more information, visit www.eclipsys.com or email info@eclipsys.com. For details on the Sunrise Patient Flow solutions, see the current Premise web site at www.premiseusa.com

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QuadraMed Booth 2023

Contact:
12110 Sunset Hills Road
Reston, VA 20190
703.709.2300
http://www.quadramed.com

QuadraMed develops IT solutions that enable healthcare organizations to simultaneously improve the documentation, quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care along with coding, billing, and collections functions – from initial patient contact through discharge. QuadraMed’s Care-Based Revenue Cycle solutions help hospitals grapple with the business realities of healthcare: the need to achieve financial strength year after year so they can fulfill their mission of providing quality care.

QuadraMed Says: Take our survey at http://www.quadramed.com/himss09/ and receive a free gift!

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RelayHealth

Booth 2051

Contact:
Janeen Cook
1145 Sanctuary Parkway, Suite 200
Alpharetta, GA 30004
770.237.7918
janeen.cook@relayhealth.com
www.relayhealth.com

RelayHealth provides you the ability to create a complete healthcare exchange connecting patients, providers, payors, pharmacies, financial institutions and pharmaceutical manufacturers. It offers interoperable, SaaS clinical, financial and pharmacy connectivity services which accelerate improvement in the quality of care, ensure financial health and create workflow efficiencies.

RelayHealth Says: Financially secure healthcare leader in search of providers looking to get connected. Should be open to long-term commitment to success and prepared to consider interactive solutions. Are you ready for a partner to rock your world? If so, visit RelayHealth at Booth #2051 and find out why you need to get Care Fully Connected.

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Sage

Booth 4404

Contact:
2202 N. West Shore Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33607
813.202.5000
http://www.sagehealth.com

Sage Software provides solutions that allow practices to optimize the patient’s experience while enhancing the practice’s bottom line. Our industry-leading three-pronged approach includes products – including practice management, electronic health records and business intelligence software – thirty years of experience, and connectivity that enables electronic communication between practices and other providers, payers and facilities

Sage Software Says: Stop by to see how we connect practices to hospitals, laboratories, payers and patients. We’ll also show you how to make structured documentation look more natural and narrative.

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Sentillion

Booth 743

Contact:
Jennifer Haas, Director, Communications
978-689-9095 ext. 262
www.sentillion.com
jhaas@sentillion.com

Sentillion has successfully combined patented technology with a deep understanding of the healthcare industry to deliver the most comprehensive set of solutions for single sign-on, identity management, clinical workstations and desktop virtualization. Sentillion is the only identity and access management company whose solutions are used daily by over 400,000 caregivers in leading healthcare organizations across North America and the United Kingdom.

Sentillion Says: We will be debuting several exciting new technology solutions and as part of this, guests will have an opportunity to win a Flip Video and other great prizes. Stop by and while you’re in our booth grab a drink (in-booth Happy Hours occurring Sunday-Tuesday, 4:30-6:00 p.m.) and pick up a Sentillion green fish plush toy.

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Sentry Data Systems

Booth 7263

Contact:
John Peebles, CIO
800.411.4566
www.sentryds.com

Sentry Data Systems saves you time and money. Sentry offers healthcare business intelligence technology solutions that address a variety of operational, workflow, compliance, and financial challenges found within hospitals and pharmacies. These products include the hospital pharmacy management application Sentinel RCM™ (Revenue Cycle Manager), retail pharmacy transaction processing platform Sentrex™, and the healthcare business intelligence application HealthBIT™ (Business Intelligence Technology). These products run on top of Sentry’s healthcare cloud computing platform, Datanex™, which is available to independent software developers and other healthcare entities.

Sentry Data Systems says: TURN YOUR DATA INTO REAL TIME INFORMATION. In order to succeed and remain viable and competitive, hospitals and other providers need information to make decisions, which result in hard-dollars savings and revenue creation.

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Sunquest

Booth 7522

Contact:
800-748-0692
www.sunquestinfo.com
sales@sunquestinfo.com

Sunquest Information Systems, Inc. delivers the market leading LIS and outreach solutions designed and implemented to fulfill the business objectives of today’s healthcare leaders. Built on the reliable technology required for mission critical applications, Sunquest solutions provide the foundation to optimize the healthcare experience; deliver safe, effective, and timely patient care; expand community reach; and transform the delivery of healthcare with predictive and personalized medicine.

Sunquest says: Sunquest proudly sponsors healthcare leaders speaking on the Five Rights of Laboratory Testing; how successful organizations deliver on the promise of safe, effective care; and what the future of healthcare IT might look like. Visit http://www.sunquestinfo.com/PressEvents/Pages/HIMSS09.aspx for the booth speakers’ schedule and to register for our limited seating breakfast presentation on Monday April 6.

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TeraMedica Healthcare Technology

Booth 1248

Contact:
Katie Brahm-Barrett, Marketing Communications Manager
10400 Innovation Drive, Suite 200
Milwaukee, WI 53226
Toll-free phone: 866.290.8880
sales@teramedica.com
http://www.teramedica.com

TeraMedica Healthcare Technology’s Evercore ® – Clinical Enterprise Suite software solution connects images, documents, video, sound, or any other information to any EMR/EHR. Evercore provides vendor independence by connecting multiple PACS to any storage system, thus bringing an end to data migration. The solution also manages your data’s lifecycle with clinical-based policies.

TeraMedica Says: TeraMedica is Driven to Optimize – visit our booth #1248 to learn more!

- Driving increased referral revenue by enabling clinicians to work smarter and more efficiently

- Extending image content to the Personal Health Record and patient portals

- Enabling true control over clinical image content using clinically aware data retention policies

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Vitalize Consulting Services

Booth 3055

Contact:
Cyndi Vely Cahill
Senior Vice President
610.444.1233 x103
www.getvitalized.com
ccahill@getvitalized.com

Vitalize Consulting Solutions, Inc. (VCS) provides a wide variety of clinical, business and IT solutions for healthcare enterprises across the United States and Canada. Our comprehensive range of programs and services includes system implementation, optimization, custom reporting, technology and integration, education and knowledge transfer in the Cerner®, Siemens®, Epic®, Eclipsys®, MEDITECH and McKesson solutions. Experience VCS. IT’s what differentiates us.

Vitalize Consulting Services Says: Be part of the solution at HIMSS. VCS recognizes that times are tough, so this year we are rallying our HIMSS audience to support one of Chicago’s overburdened food banks. Stop by booth #3055 to pick up a goodie and help erase hunger in the Chicago community.

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Wolters Kluwers

Booth 1045

Laura Gilbert
Director, Marketing Communications
Clinical Solutions
612-313-1506
laura.gilbert@wolterskluwer.com
www.pointofcareapplications.com

From diagnosis and treatment to documentation and coding, Wolters Kluwer Health Clinical Solutions provides end-to-end software solutions and clinical content encompassing the full continuum of care under such universally recognized brand names as UpToDate®, ProVation® Order Sets powered by UpToDate® Decision Support, Medi-Span®, Facts & Comparisons® and ProVation® Medical.

Wolters Kluwer Says: Come discover how our software solutions – designed for clinicians, by clinicians – will streamline workflow, improve quality and safety, reduce costs and increase revenues across your organization.

From Anon: "Re: McKesson. Layoffs Friday, specifically in Provider Technologies. About 120 employees." I heard that from a couple of people, one of whom put the number at 400-500, but saw no announcement.

From SpeedD: "Re: Meditech. I have heard a rumor that Meditech is allowing employees to buy stock this year." I e-mailed the press contact for confirmation, but haven’t received a response.

From The PACS Designer: "Re: Windows 7. InformationWeek has an excellent video on the key features of the upcoming release of Windows 7, which is expected to happen in late September. TPD likes the DirectAccess, AppLocker, and the  Branch Caching feature in this new enterprise software application. Another nice feature is when you are on the Internet, you are automatically connected to the enterprise server, so you have the same application look that you would have at your employer’s headquarters." Link.

From Bobby Orr: "Re: APACHE. Cerner did buy that and Project Impact and tried to combine them into a Web-based tool called Critical Outcomes (or something along those lines). Don’t know of anyone using the new tool but it seems like everyone still running some version of APACHE."

From Gene D’Machine: "Re: IBM’s healthcare practice. Half of them laid off, I hear." I heard that, too. IBM certainly seems to be doing all it can to alienate providers right as it tries to get business from them.

Chicago weather: 1-2 inches of snow Sunday (I’m writing this Saturday) and a high of 50 this weekend for HIMSS. Not exactly San Diego, is it? The coat check girls will make a fortune.

Speaking of Chicago, the Tribune covers the business affairs of new White House healthcare czar Nancy-Ann DeParle: she made at least $3.5 million over two years from fees and stock gains, the White House won’t allow her to be interviewed and wouldn’t answer questions about her business history, and neither she nor the White House have released any financial disclosures.

I’ve been to busy to make any kind of HIMSS plan, so I figured I would try the MyHIMSS09 Calendar. The idea is pretty cool: each session has a link to click to add it to your calendar. What I didn’t like: the calendar itself takes up a ton of Web page and there’s no print function, so it will be a bulky set of Web page prints (not a real calendar, just a list of sessions). You can send individual sessions to Outlook, but not the whole set (and not to Gmail). And, every time I tried to remove a session, it locked up my PC with a monstrous CPU utilization from Firefox Javascript, so I’ve got stuff on there to cross off. The session search/browse was also a bit clunky, not allowing searching by session number, by CEU offered, or by presenter (that I could find, anyway). I’m sure I will end up marking on the little pocket version that I hope they haven’t eliminated.

Trey Lauderdale of Voalte, Inc. has arranged an informal NCAA viewing party after the HIStalk HIMSS event Monday evening at Theory sports bar, 9 W. Hubbard St. (a couple of blocks from the Trump). If you’re still hungry, they serve upscale barbeque and Mexican and they’ve got $5 burgers on Monday, which beats the heck out of Sysco prisoner food at the convention center or the usual room service blandwiches that leave you stuffed but unsatisfied. I think Trey is buying the beer. If Theory fills up, he’s got some backup bars next door.

EHR Scope has a new spring edition ready for download. It has several articles on EHR selection and implementation.

 

Thanks much to new HIStalk Platinum Sponsor Cumberland Consulting Group of Brentwood, TN, which has grown to over 50 employees in its six-year existence. It’s a 2008 Music City Future 50 winner and a Consulting Magazine 2008 Best Small Firm to Work For winner. I like this statement: "Reflecting on their Big 4 consulting background, Cumberland’s founding partners were struck by the waste of talent that occurred because of competing priorities and big company bureaucracy." What they do: IT planning, systems selection, implementation, PM, and IT improvement, and just about everything EMR related. I checked the HIMSS directory and it looks like managing partner Jim Lewis will be holding down the fort at Booth 4475, so please let stop by and them you that you appreciate their support of HIStalk like I do.

Speaking of HIMSS, our annual guide to what HIStalk’s sponsors are doing there will be ready for your online reading and downloading shortly. Please show those folks a little booth-visiting love in your exhibit hall travels. Their support of HIStalk and its readers is entirely voluntary and self-initiated: they e-mail for information, I e-mail it to them, and sometimes they e-mail back that they’re in (and many times, don’t). Inga and I don’t advertise, solicit, take calls, provide fancy statistics, reveal our identities or location, or otherwise hand-hold prospective sponsors (I just don’t have the time, working full time in a hospital, and I figure it’s pretty clear what we do here). You can see how cool they are by keeping an eye out for "We Power HIStalk" signs in the HIMSS exhibit hall and stopping by for a howdy. I’ll be doing that myself (incognito, of course).

Everybody likes to speculate who Oracle will buy next, apparently unfazed by the historical 99% rate of being wildly wrong. With a Red Hat rumor in the air, one research firm takes some swags that include Allscripts and Cerner in healthcare. At least the addition of Allscripts is new.

Olympus Medical Center (WA) gets approval for a $2 million GE Centricity practice EMR purchase. This board member must know hospital IT: "There are going to be changes. I just feel them. And I think all of them are going to cost money."

Hospital layoffs: Regional Medical Center at Memphis (TN), 86; Immanuel St. Joseph’s (MN), 100; Jackson Hughston memorial Hospital (AL), 70-80; Barton Healthcare(CA), 43.

Jobs: NextMD Template Designer/Developer, VP of Human Resources, Cerner CPOE Activation Support, Regional Sales Director.

The Orange County Business Journal profiles Sheldon Razin, founder and chairman of Quality Systems Inc. (the NextGen people), saying he took $2,000 of his own money and created a company now worth $1.4 billion. I should have bought shares: they’re up 2,000% since 2000 and even up 10% so far this year.

New on HIStech Report: our interview with Gary Zegiestowsky, CEO of Informatics Corporation of America, which has commercialized Vanderbilt-developed clinical technology that, in Gary’s words, "leverages data across clinical settings and aids decision-making and improved patient outcomes."

Interesting: WSJ covers "brain gyms," where members "work out" with mental fitness software. Scientific evidence is lacking, but previous research found that the brain can rewire itself with new neural connections in response to mental activity, such as cognitive training. Sounds like a good business to get in on early.

Emageon announces that the company has settled what it says is a meritless lawsuit against its acquisition by AMICAS. It also reports that revenue was down 34% in 2008, with net losses of over $42 million.

I saw Dennis Quaid in a very confusing and awful movie called Vantage Point last week. He had a strange expression throughout, looking crinkle-nosed like he had just gotten a whiff of some foul odor (I think that was his effort to convey discipline and focus). Not even close to his excellent Right Stuff performance. Perhaps he’ll show clips at HIMSS.

Odd lawsuit: a teenager having her tonsils removed in 2006 falls as nurses tried to help her sit up on the OR table. She claims headaches and files suit (three years later) for $8,000 in medical expenses and $992,000 for suffering, future medical expenses, and disability. Who wants to be a millionaire?

E-mail me.

From Skippy Van Oakes: "Re: Keith Hagen. Was the personal reason that he thought that QuadraMed shouldn’t be put up for sale? Chatter on the Yahoo! Finance boards would indicate a distinct possibility." The press release quote from interim CEO Jim Peebles made me wonder: "I am eager to focus on the ways in which the Company can further unlock its potential and increase shareholder value." His additional comments suggested more R&D and positioning for HITECH money rather than a change in ownership, but I understand those who assume quotes referring to shareholder value mean that all options are on the table. I like the company, QCPR is an excellent product, and they are a franchise when it comes to HIM technologies. Their only disadvantage is size compared to the competition. Some of the Yahoo posters took Oracle’s announced acquisition of Relsys this week as a signal of more healthcare interest, but clinical trials software offers a vastly different vertical sales opportunity than the average mid-sized hospital.

From ILoveLA: "Re: Cedars. I heard a rumor that the clinical project at Cedars-Sinai has been halted." I didn’t hear that, but I did hear they got rid of a bunch of Perot people and replaced them with Deloitterers. That’s not verified, but the source who told me should know.

 

From New York Cynic: "Re: RealAge. They just set back PHRs and online health information technology about a year." No doubt. Over 27 million people have taken the 150-question RealAge test on the Internet, which purports to calculate your biological age based on personal characteristics rather than date of birth, but was actually collecting targets for drug company advertising, including specific quiz answers and e-mail addresses. RealAge says it discloses everything and doesn’t let the advertisers have the data. Scumbags or not? I’m leaning toward no (the communication came directly from them and users should have expected the worst given the vague privacy agreement), but I bet smoke is coming out of Deb Peel’s ears for their using patient information to kick off personalized marketing blitzes. If we’re ever going to control healthcare costs, can we afford to let wiley drug companies hard sell to often clueless consumers and their customer-friendly doctors willing to oblige? Also gone unnoticed by most: RealAge is owned by Hearst (which paid $100 million for it in 2007), which also owns First DataBank, Zynx Health, and Medscape. This guy saw it coming: "I would think that the 8 million submitters of private medical information would feel a little uncomfortable when their data got acquired by a major publisher, but I haven’t seen any real journalists exploring that angle yet. Oh well, at least it wasn’t a life insurance company."

From Victor Franko: "Re: Emergisoft. Joe DeSilva was probably the best thing to happen to Emergisoft in its history. The company’s bottom line was better, the product was significantly improved, employees were motivated, and customers were happier than before he started. I’m disappointed that the company didn’t have the class to recognize his contributions."

From Bobby Orr: "Re: Eclipsys SCM. Look for announcement of a major SCM win at prestigious teaching and research organization in the Northeast."

From Cleon Jones: "Re: Sutter. A major obstacle in its implementation was organizational and process (making decisions upfront, defining realistic charters, establishing governance, and managing user expectations). They are prime time for a Federalist champion or a good organizational management consultant looking for a challenge. Their IT budget is allocation to individual affiliates and there is not tight corporate governance, so there is little corporate funding available. Consider the first implementation a prototype evaluation."

From Home Provider: "Re: medical homes. A report says their savings will be less than or equal to the monthly fees paid since they will be serving too broad-based a population." Link.

I’m hearing that Orlando Portale, CTO of Palomar Pomerado Health, may be under consideration by House Speaker Pelosi as her appointee to the government’s new HIT advisory board.

A UK hospital chooses MEDITECH v6.0 EPR, a big win given the hospital’s huge project budget and planned scope.

I’m hearing a little buzz that economic pressures are causing some vendors to claim they can’t integrate with third-party systems or, when that doesn’t discourage the customer, charging them a high interface fee plus annual maintenance. Apparently they would rather not share the sandbox play-time, so they are taking their ball and going home. The government and customers want interoperability, but it’s not in the best interest of vendors to allow too much customer independence. That will be interesting to watch. 

Bankrupt Nortel Networks, praying desperately for stimulus crumbs, will demonstrate some new IVR applications at HIMSS.

A UK hospital is chastised for scrapping PCs still containing patient medical records.

Health Robotics announces the early release of its ivStation Profile at a Dubai conference, a biometrically secured IV dispensing system similar to profile-secured dispensing cabinets like Pyxis. Gaspar DeViedma, formerly of Eclipsys, works for them.

HIStalk odds that Rob Kolodner will cash in on his ONCHIT stint by taking a high-level, mostly ceremonial vendor or lobbying job instead of heading back to the VA: eight to one.

McKesson is testing the UK HIT waters for a return following its failure to win NPfIT contracts in 2003, but also after project stumbles opened the field back up again.

Part 4 of our HITECH vendor question series is up on HIStalk Practice.

It’s hard to believe this survey’s conclusion, even though it does appear in JAMA. Only 1.5% of US hospitals have comprehensive clinical systems running in all units, with the number increasing to only 7.6% if you count just one or more units. CPOE for meds is at an embarrassing 17%, with 45% of respondents saying they have no plans to implement it at all. The decision support survey elements are skewed, obviously allowing respondents to count them as implemented even if not for physicians (example: only 17% do meds in CPOE, but 46% say they have drug-allergy alerts, obviously in the pharmacy system). You might argue whether some of the requirements to be considered "comprehensive" are really practical the way vendors have designed them (physician notes, drug-lab interactions, and nursing assessments), but those are not unreasonable criteria. The EHR-less hospitals blamed upfront cost nearly 3/4 of the the time, while a third questioned ROI and the abilities of their IT shops. So, smug hospital types snarking on poor physician EMR adoption have little to brag on since penetration may be higher in practices even though the excuses are the same. So, assuming Santa Obama defuses the major argument by using our money to buy EMRs, where will hospitals get all the IT and informatics resources? (not to mention that the ROI gets better when someone else pays, but the overall benefit doesn’t change). And if you thought the 1.5% number was appalling, consider this: having it running doesn’t mean using it to improve care or reduce cost, it just means it’s available.

New York Presbyterian gets a CNBC mention for using CPOE to reduce adverse drug events by 80%. Watch closely and you’ll see Eclipsys SCM on the screen.

At least this data breach involves paper: a Mass General billing manager leaves a stack of charge slips on the Red Line T, including treatment information (for an HIV-positive patient, in the newspaper’s example). That patient’s anger is the opposite of what we IT people usually hear: "I was really angry at first because I thought everything in the hospital was supposed to be electronic and things wouldn’t get lost, and to find out someone took their work home, private information wasn’t supposed to be taken home, … to find out it was left on the subway, that wasn’t cool. It wasn’t secure. It wasn’t in a briefcase. It was secured in a rubber band."

CareTech Solutions, ranked #1 in KLAS for extensive IT outsourcing, announces the launch of its US-based technical and clinical information system support for hospitals, including proactive system monitoring. Continuum Health Partners (NY) has already signed up.

An interesting quote on Wal-Mart’s selling of eClinicalWorks: "I often state that Wal-Mart is not a store, it is an Information Technology company. Their servers in Arkansas have the capacity to store everything on the internet two times over. It is in the area of electronic health records where they may have the most impact, through EHR software sales and applying EHR standards to millions of future customers in their health clinics. If it were king of Wal-Mart, I’d go ahead and store a patient’s records on their Wal-Mart Money Card. Why not? Wal-Mart may also become the largest referrer of medical care in the nation, by sending patients in their clinics to physicians when those patients have more serious healthcare needs. Ask a doctor, referrals are the lifeblood of a medical practice."

The rumors were apparently correct: IBM will fire 5,000 Americans and ship most of their jobs off to India, increasing the number of foreign workers it employs to even more than the current 71%. I guess that’s where the "I" comes from, leaving just a lot of BM to save healthcare now that Uncle Sam’s money has made it worth their time. So buying a US-made Toyota is not buying American but hiring IBM and its mostly offshore workers is? Rumor is Big Blue is smelling the pheromones of Satyam, too.

I had a good personal EMR encounter today. My doctor’s clinic uses them (Centricity, I think) and has integrated them nicely into the practice. I checked out the screens and they were very logical and easy to use. All my info was in there, easy to find, and even though the monitor was badly placed (on the desk, meaning his back would be to the exam table), he didn’t really focus on it until we were nearly finished. He would have use eRX on my prescription except I had no idea where we get them filled (that’s a Mrs. HIStalk task) so he printed off a quite nicely formatted copy. I don’t know how much work he has to do after hours (forgot to ask), but as a patient, it was definitely no worse than a paper chart and probably better. The assistant was pretty comfortable logging my vitals in there, too. Best of all, I left there better than I went in, always a crapshoot in our expensive but inconsistent healthcare system.

An interesting NEJM editorial by new ONCHIT David Blumenthal states his opinion that CCHIT’s certification is fine for covering basic capabilities, but doesn’t address user-friendliness or their suitability to meet HITECH’s quality and cost goals. Also, an interesting disclosure: GE’s paying him.

Sheldon Razin, chair of Quality Systems, Inc. (parent of NextGen), is awarded the 2009 Excellence in Entrepreneurship award from the Orange County Business Journal.

St. Mary’s Medical Center (WV) is lauded by the local paper for its use of APACHE in managing ICU patients. They credited it with saving 21 patients. I’m too lazy to look it up, but I seem to remember that Cerner bought it awhile back.

E-mail me.

HERtalk by Inga

From LTC: "Re: Twitter.Take a look at my page. I’ll shamelessly admit that I thought of your sexy LinkedIn & Twitter pic when I posted mine!" LTC includes the following in her bio: Driven hospital software seller by day, pastry chef wannabe with a shoe fetish nights & weekends. Obviously she’s now my new BFF.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (MA) reduces the number of planned layoffs from 600 to 150, following $350,000 worth of donations from department heads and various cost-cutting measures.The 13 medical department leaders pledged enough money to save about 10 jobs (very nice.) Beth Israel is also delaying raises, temporarily reducing benefits, and offer some employees early retirement.

Capario (the company whose name I still haven’t figured out, but I’m careful to include only one ‘R’) announces three new contracts with provider groups to help members reduce claims processing costs and improve RCM. In case you missed it, Capario was formerly know as MedAvant.

Mr. H just bought me some cool new software that improves my ability to post photos. I have it just in time for HIMSS, so please pack your camera and share your pics with us. We’d particularly love some shots from the HIStalk/Ingenix soiree, as well as any other parties you attend (since Mr. H and I haven’t been invited to many and we want to see what we are missing.) If the exhibit police don’t stop you, send us photos of your picks for best and worst booths. Of course, shots of fancy shoes are always exhilarating.

PinnacleHealth (PA) selects MobileMD to provide its HIE and Enterprise Access technologies and services.

Spectrum Health commits to a three-year contract with MEDSEEK to create an "interoperable eHealth ecoSystem." I think that is a fancy way of saying Spectrum is going to use MEDSEEK’s products to connect its hospitals, providers, consumers, and patients.

Grad student Valerie McCleary wins the 2009 Beacon Partners Scholarship, worth $7,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to HIMSS. She’s working on a Masters in Arts in Health Informatics and Information Management at the College of St. Scholastica.

The Louisville HIE picks 3M Health Information Systems to provide its EHR banking system and interoperability solution. InterComponentWare (ICW) will design and build the HIE network to provide free health record banking services to the greater Louisville area.

Faculty members from Wake Forest and Duke University collaborate on a commentary that stresses the need to clarify the legal ownership of patient records. In order to make use of potentially valuable clinical data for medical research or improving patient outcomes, regulators must create a new system of patient-initiated control of health records.

Pharmacy OneSource, a SAS solution-provider for pharmacy applications, announces two new hospital system clients. Lehigh Valley Health Network (PA) has implemented the Sentri7 and Quantifi systems and Bethesda Memorial Hospital (FL) is now using  ScheduleRx.

Allviant, a division of Medicity, joins the Arizona State University Center for Services Leadership. Allviant’s president Lilian Myers has also been named to the center’s advisory board.

The bankrupt BearingPoint consulting practice plans to sell substantially all of its businesses as part of a restructuring agreement with its senior creditors. No word on who’d like to buy the healthcare consulting segment.

 

FusionCIO interviews Kaiser Permanente CIO Phil Fasano and asks him about KP’s decision to outsource IT services to IBM. Says Fasano, "We spent an awful lot of time and energy looking at our operations and looking at organizations around the world that had capabilities that could partner with us and help us to really accelerate the high performing IT function that we have at Kaiser." Does that mean KP believed they weren’t getting it done on its own?

A CDW survey of HIT professionals finds that hospitals that spend 40% or more of their IT budgets on infrastructure have more providers reporting "outstanding" performance from their clinical applications. Hospitals spending less money had only 29% of their providers report outstanding performance.The survey also found found that 67% of respondents described applications as "critical" to patient care compared to 50% who believed infrastructure was critical to patient care. CDW sells infrastructure, as you might have inferred.

A NEJM article  concludes that putting more money into existing HIT may be the wrong approach for delivering long-term benefits. Instead, the authors recommend that HHS mandate development of a new platform that will support a variety of individual applications, making the data "liquid" and providing an easy way for providers to change systems. Good authors: Kenneth Mandl and Isaac Kohane, both MD/PhDs from Children’s Hospital Boston’s informatics program.

AARP publishes a list of top hospitals, based on surveys of physicians and various hospital ratings.The magazine also created an interactive map that lists the top-ranked hospitals by geographic area.

E-mail Inga.