News 04/25/06

From Interesting Facts: "I always find it comical when people post news related to layoffs. From my understanding McKesson did lay off 150 employees. From what I heard it is more about balancing the business and focusing efforts in the most appropriate areas. In fact, they are hiring to a net 600 additional employees. Interesting how things get spun." I think it's valid news: (a) it means the company is changing strategies in some manner that would interest anyone doing business with them; (b) it indicates some level of management incompetence, seeing as how they hired and paid those folks voluntarily and suddenly had no place for them, which would certainly interest potential future employees; and (c) there's always a good chance in this small industry that all of us know someone who was affected. Despite positive stock market response, layoffs are a sign that management isn't all that bright or business isn't all that good, a convenient method to get rid of deadwood that no one had the guts to divest otherwise.

From EMRNurse: "Re: UC Davis. Good and bad news for UCDMC's EMR project. The good is the partial Nursing Documentation go live has gone fairly smoothly. A clinical superuser said that there have been few issues and he can't figure out why there are so many epic superusers (60) from outside the area flown in to assist when they were not needed. He stated they are standing around looking bored. Some say Tinstman is so fearful of another delay due to media attention he wasent taking any chances. The bad news is that the Sacramento Business Journal released another article that shows that UCD paid Deloitte not 15 million but 17.3 million and an audit found fault with UCD's payment of personal copy expenses, apartments, and a fitness membership for the consultants. A larger audit of the entire project has been triggered and should be out this summer. I perdict a long hot summer for Dr T."

From Raz: "Israel seems to have its own RHIO, described as: 'A new platform that integrates medical records and medical information from various care settings in the community and in hospitals. If regularly used by medical staff it is expected to assist in improving continuity and quality of care, avoiding dangerous medical mistakes, and reducing costs related to duplications.'" That's a good find and I agree it sounds like a RHIO. The article has a nice analysis on who benefits and why. They have the same problems as we do: some physicians don't want to use it, the physician union is against it for workload reasons, and patients have privacy concerns. "The main problem in the implementation of this technology is updating the information. Lab test results are entered automatically but other data need to be entered and updated manually. Physicians in the community and in hospitals need to regularly enter diagnoses, medications etc, which takes time and effort. Therefore, the quality of the data depends on the cooperation of physicians." 

My editorial for tomorrow's Inside Healthcare Computing electronic update will be on David Brailer's resignation, what qualifications his successor should have, and what challenges await him or her. They've got a subscription deal for HIStalk readers over to your left. As I've said, it's the only HIT publication I've paid for and renewed annually.

University of Maryland's nursing school will train students on Cerner applications.

Listening to right now: Pretty Girls Make Graves, Seattle-based intelligent post rock. A tad experimental at times, but quite listenable.

CIO Field Report

• Hospital type: Community, Single Hospital, <200 Beds, East.
• IT Operating Budget: <$2 million.
• Most important IT projects now underway: BMV (bedside medication verification,) wireless, hardware upgrades.
• Systems you’ll be buying within the next three years: MEDITECH EDM, ORM, SCA.
• Best application vendors: MEDITECH, GE, Pyxis.
• Worst application vendors: GE.
  

Fill out the online CIO/IT Director Field Report and I'll shoot you an HIStalk Yearbook. It's quick, easy, and much appreciated.

Two VA hospital systems contract for TheraDoc's clinical decision support systems.

Picis brings on ex-IBMer Christine Cournoyer as EVP/COO.

Florida Health Care Coalition launches a campaign urging physicians to write prescriptions legibly. Florida is one of six states that already has a law requiring legible physician handwriting, but no doctor has ever been punished for dangerous sloppiness.

Fairview Health Services will develop and implement online business solutions from Plexus Systems.

First Consulting Group loses a couple of board members and adds Ron Aprahamian, founder of Compucare and former chairman of the board for Superior Consultant.

A 16-year-old high school student from Canada uses Microsoft Visual Studio to create an application that embeds patient data into an image of the patient, allowing secure access to authorized providers.

Former CA CEO Sandy Kumar pleads guilty to leading a $2.2 billion accounting fraud at the company.

NIH gives BearingPoint a $36 million contract despite its shameful performance at Bay Pines VA Hospital.

Intuit is creating a TurboTax line of personal health record products.