Profero Solutions

STANFORD, CA – Data mining and electronic health records helped researchers at some of the country’s most prestigious universities discover a dangerous of a common drug combination.

A widely used combination of two medications may cause unexpected increases in blood glucose levels, according to a study conducted at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University and Harvard Medical School. Researchers were surprised at the finding because neither of the two drugs – one, an antidepressant marketed as Paxil, and the other, a cholesterol-lowering medication called Pravachol – has a similar effect alone.

The study relied on an adverse-event reporting database maintained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and on sophisticated electronic medical records used by each of the three participating institutions. They used data-mining techniques to identify patterns of associations in large populations that would not be readily apparent to physicians treating individual patients.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary – Large populations, geographic disparities and legacy infrastructure problems can derail national health IT projects. Estonia suffers from none of these factors.

The Baltic state implemented a national EHR in 2009 at a cost equivalent to €7.50 (roughly $10 USD) per citizen.

Madis Tiik, CEO of the Estonian E-Health Foundation, who managed the project, described the short path to a fully integrated EHR network currently used by 47 pecent of the country's residents.

Launched in 2009, the EHR is built on Estonia's X-Roads network, Tiik told attendees of eHealth Week 2011. X-Roads is a secure gateway service architecture that hosts 3,000 e-services available to Estonian citizens. In January 2010, the eHealth Foundation launched a companion health insurance system for claims, reimbursement and prescription management.

"In many countries, I have seen that the task is to integrate the healthcare system," said Tiik. "There is also the concept of the personal health record. In Estonia, we decided that all this functionality will be in our national EHR."

All end-users of Estonia's EHR system can access their full personal health records. There's nothing a physician can see that a patient cannot. And with nearly half the country's residents using the system within two years of its launch, the project appears viable for the long term.

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WASHINGTON – Two former U.S. senators, one a Republican, the other a Democrat, do not have to cross the aisle to work together. Tom Daschle, the Democrat who represented South Dakota from 1987 to 2005, and Bob Bennett, the Republican who represented Utah from 1993 to 2011, pretty much see eye to eye these days – at least on the subject of health information technology.

Healthcare information technology is a topic that is front and center at the Bipartisan Policy Center, which was founded by Daschle along with other former senators – George Mitchell, Bob Dole and Howard Baker. Bennett joined the center as a senior fellow this past February.

[See also: Daschle withdraws from nomination for HHS Secretary.]

On April 26, Daschle and Bennett joined the nation’s new healthcare IT chief Farzad Mostashari, MD, on a panel that explored the challenges of converting the nation’s healthcare system from one that is mired in paper to one that is digital and interoperable.

Daschle described the U.S. healthcare system today as one that is not a system at all. “We have a marketplace and a collage of systems,” he said. “What we have is a 21st century operating room and a 19th century administrative room,” he told an audience gathered at the nation’s capital to hear the three men speak.

Daschle said there are too many “stovepipes” in healthcare. It’s hard to find the right data at the right time, he said, and healthcare is the least transparent of all the sectors of the economy. “If you can’t see it, you can’t fix it,’ he said.

On the fix-it end of it, Daschle sounded hopeful.

“We are at the most transformational time in our nation’s history as it comes to health,” he said.

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DENVER – HealthGrades, a website for patients researching and selecting physicians, announced Wednesday the launch of a new Web-based tool that empowers physicians and practice administrators to take control of their online reputation.

The free, secure Web application encourages ongoing physician engagement to verify and modify the information HealthGrades makes public in more than 750,000 online physician profiles. The HealthGrades Physician & Provider Portal is being officially unveiled at this week’s American Medical Group Association (AMGA) annual conference in Washington D.C.

“As a physician, I understand the professional challenge doctors face in managing online information,” said Rick May, MD, HealthGrades vice president, accelerated clinical excellence. “But public reporting is here to stay and will likely only increase in scope. It is time physicians leveraged the power of the Web to benefit their patients and their practice. As the most heavily trafficked physician search site, HealthGrades is uniquely positioned to help.”

HealthGrades’ enhanced Portal is designed to enable physicians to take control of their online reputation, offering them the opportunity to respond publicly to patient satisfaction ratings, and assisting doctors in actively attracting the most appropriate patients. For example, adding customized and detailed information about medical areas of expertise, and a brief description of practice style helps patients better match with the right physician who meets their specific needs and expectations.

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SACRAMENTO, CA – California Connects, a federally funded program designed to increase broadband access among underserved communities for improved access to resources like healthcare information, celebrated its official launch Wednesday at American River College in Sacramento.

Officials said the debut of the program marks the start of a multi-year effort to address California's digital divide and help increase the number of broadband Internet users throughout the state by more than 61,000 people.

[See also: Obama gives HIT the nod in State of the Union speech.]

California Connects will involve intensive training and outreach to expand Internet usage in communities that still have limited access, with an emphasis on the Central Valley, where there is still a high concentration of residents not using the Internet. The program aims to provide thousands of underserved Californians with online tools and training to enhance their lifelong learning ability, improve their economic and healthcare status and advance their general quality of life.

[See also: Studies: Health IT has big impact on rural and minority communities.]

California Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla (11th District) joined California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott, Los Rios Community College District Chancellor Brice Harris, and Foundation for California Community Colleges President Paul Lanning to commemorate the launch of the program, made possible by a $10.9 million grant from the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

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INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana's health IT sector, which includes more than 72 growing technologies, along with health plans, life sciences companies, academic institutions, philanthropic organizations and state government, have bolstered healthcare and the economy of the state, according to a new report.

The report, From Dishwashers to Digital Medical Records – Indiana's Leadership in Health Information Technology, from BioCrossroads, Indiana's initiative for investment, development and advancement of the state's signature life sciences strengths, was released Feb. 22 at HIMSS11 in Orlando.

The BioCrossroads report lists 72 startups, 2,500 workers, and $202 million in company revenues as three new ways to measure the progress of Indiana's health information technology innovation cluster. It defines, for the first time, the HIT cluster as a specific sector of life sciences economic activity in Indiana, analyzing core assets and documenting a decade-long story of steady growth.

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FAIRFAX, VA – CGI Group Inc. announced yesterday that it has delivered a turnkey Medicaid Electronic Health Record solution to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission that will allow the state to be one of the first in the nation to qualify for federal Medicaid EHR incentive payments.

The package which encompasses both IT and business services includes a provider portal, call center support, provider verifications and payment distribution and the development of the provider appeals process. Call center support and business services will be provided by CGI’s office in Troy, Mich., while the IT and technology protion of the contract will be hosted in Phoenix.

“CGI’s solution allows Texas to be one of the first states in the country to enable eligible providers and hospitals to receive Medicaid EHR incentive payments in 2011,” said Holli Ploog, vice president with CGI. “Our Medicaid Incentive360 offering meets the program’s complex requirements and staffing needs, while providing accountability and control through service level agreements and reporting.”

CGI is delivering its solution via the state’s claims administrator, the Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership. The two-year contract is valued at $8 million and includes three option years.

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BALTIMORE – Oklahoma and Kentucky have become the first states under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program to make incentive payments to providers for the adoption of certified EHRs, according to CMS.

In Kentucky, the University of Kentucky (UK) Healthcare and Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington became the first hospitals in the country to receive checks under the 2009 stimulus law. UK received $2.8 million, and Central Baptist received $1.3 million.

In Oklahoma two physicians at the Gastorf Family Clinic of Durant, Okla., received $21,250 each, for having adopted certified EHRs.

According to CMS, Kentucky, Iowa, Louisiana and Oklahoma are the first states to receive the Medicaid incentive payments for the purchase and use of EHRs. The incentive program for hospitals is set to run through 2016, the year targeted for completion of a nationwide health information network.

Twenty-five additional providers in Kentucky said they have begun the application process to receive payment.

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BOSTON – The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has announced a new membership program for patient safety professionals that will provide an opportunity for sharing of best practices and the unification of the growing patient safety community.

New members can join the American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety at NPSF starting in January 2011.

In addition, beginning in January 2012, NPSF will start a certification program specifically designed to standardize a curriculum and elevate the patient safety profession. Taken together with society membership, this will provide a level of professional development for practitioners of patient safety that does not currently exist.

"Patient safety is a top priority for our healthcare system," said Lucian L. Leape, MD, chair of the Lucian Leape Institute at NPSF. "But we will not be able to truly move the needle until those who are involved in the practice have the knowledge base necessary to do the job. The certification program is an essential element in that quest."

The program will offer certification for healthcare professionals according to criteria determined through clinical research and industry best practices. Certification for Professionals in Patient Safety (CPPS) will enable care providers and others to assess activities that affect patient safety according to the best available information, and implement strategies to reduce medical errors.

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Here is a recent article about healthcare statistics:

WASHINGTON – In a report that found states are showing the highest scores ever for health emergency preparedness, health IT is seen as a major indicator. Experts, however, caution that in order for states to close the gap on existing vulnerabilities an "ongoing investment to rebuild and modernize our public health system" is required.

The eighth annual study, Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, was released by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. States received one point for achieving an indicator or zero points if they did not achieve the indicator. The data for the indicators are from publicly available sources or were provided from public officials.

State preparedness scores:

Ten out of 10: Arkansas, North Dakota Washington state,

Nine out of 10: Alabama, California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Eight out of 10: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wyoming

Seven out of 10: Washington, D.C., Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas

Six out of 10: Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota

Five out of 10: Iowa, Montana

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ROUND ROCK, TX – Dell's profits more than doubled in the third quarter and its revenue was up 19 percent, thanks in part to continued growth of the computer maker's healthcare operations.

Dell reported Thursday that, for the quarter ended Oct. 29, its income was $822 million – up from $337 million for the same period last year.

Revenue, meanwhile, grew to $15.4 billion from $12.9 billion. (Year to date, the company’s revenue has grown 21 percent to $45.8 billion.)

In a statement, Dell executives credited its strong role as a provider to the healthcare industry – specifically citing implementations at the Methodist Hospital in Houston and Western Maryland Health Systems in Cumberland, Md.

In addition, Dell touted its precence internationally – such as its work helping the Songjiang Hospital in Shanghai to implement EMR systems and diagnostic image transfers.

"Our strong results demonstrate that we are listening to customers and delivering what they want," said Chairman and CEO Michael Dell. "It validates that our strategy to offer choice and efficiency at every level of the IT enterprise computing stack is taking hold, and we are more focused than ever to being a true partner – not merely a provider – to our customers. Dell is growing in the right areas, and I’m very excited about our momentum."

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PORTLAND, MAINE – There is about a 50 percent failure rate for electronic medical record implementations, and most of those failures stem from poor planning and preparation, said a family physician who spoke at a regional extension center (REC) forum held for providers in Maine.

Scott Patch, MD, practices in Yarmouth, Maine, and is part of a multi-specialty medical group called InterMed P.A., which has been using an EMR for about five years and is considered a “paperless” environment.

Patch says when a practice is considering moving to an EMR the whole organization has to “buy-in.” In other words, everyone has to be onboard –  even staff at check out. There is a “redistribution of work” said Patch. "There is going to be more and new work. For us it was our check out staff that required more training,

The hardest part is maintaining good communication, said Patch. That is why it is important to identify a plan and choose a physician champion. “There is nothing more powerful” than choosing another doctor for this role, as doctors tend to listen to other doctors, he said.

Part of an EMR plan is assessing what your practice does and doesn’t do well, said Patch. “The EHR represents a fundamental change to the way the office handles the movement of patients and information,” he added.

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The Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) set of standards, services and policies have been evolving through the years. In addition to funding statewide health information exchanges (HIEs), the federal government is touting connectivity using the NHIN.

Education session 20, “HIE Connectivity Using the NHIN: Lessons from the SSA, C-HIEP and NHIN Projects,” Thursday at 11:30 AM-12:30 PM CST highlights real-world interoperability projects that have successfully enabled entities to exchange patient data.

Todd Rowland, MD, executive director of HealthLINC, and Rodney Cain, chief technology architect of HealthBridge, will discuss their respective HIE projects, which include collaborating with the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, among other federal and private-sector partners.

The projects range from the NHIN Prototype Architecture, CMS’ CARE Health Information Exchange Project (C-HIEP) and SSA’s electronic disability determination.

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OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL – Core health IT purchases, including new network equipment, are priority investments for healthcare professionals this year – but the desire for mobility is also driving docs to put Tablet PCs at the top of their shopping lists, according to new research from CompTIA.

CompTIA's Second Annual Healthcare IT Insights and Opportunities study also reveals that healthcare providers are generally satisfied with the IT solutions they now use in their practices. But they're also interested in better reliability, improved performance and lower costs for future purchases.   "Healthcare providers have clear objectives for their IT investments – reducing costs, saving time, improving productivity and most importantly, improving patient care," said Tim Herbert, vice president, research, CompTIA. "Anything that may disrupt patient care is a serious issue, so product reliability is especially critical."   Healthcare providers rely on core IT products to care for patients and manage their practices, with desktop and laptop PCs, printers, phone systems and networking equipment the norm at the vast majority of practices. Over the next 12 months, healthcare providers will engage in replacement purchases to refresh outdated equipment and make investments in new equipment to add additional capabilities.

About half of healthcare practices will increase their IT expenditures in the next 12 months, with the rest either holding budgets flat or reducing their IT spending, the study shows. Group practices are most likely to increase spending, while solo practices are relatively more likely to keep IT spending levels flat. Overall, one in three healthcare practices expects to increase IT spending by more than 5 percent over the next year.

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – Omnicell, which makes automated dispensing systems and other medication management solutions for acute care facilities, announced Wednesday its acquisition of Pandora Data Systems, a Scotts Valley, Calif.-based provider of data analysis software for medication diversion detection.

Execs say the merger will make the most of both firms' expertise in medication analytics to improve clinical benchmarking that helps ensure regulatory compliance.

“We believe the two companies' complementary, best-in-class products and technologies will be of great value to all of our customers," said Jim Felich, CEO of Pandora Data Systems. "Our partnership with the Omnicell team will allow us to continue our commitment to patient safety and help hospital systems meet the increasingly stringent requirements of the DEA and The Joint Commission."

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Here is a great article some new programs:

  NEW YORK – The Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute (HCI3) and the New York City Health Department's Primary Care Information Project have partnered to develop a program to recognize physicians who deliver high-value primary care to adult patients in New York City.

The Adult Primary Care Recognition Program will help clinicians identify patients who need chronic care management and preventive services such as cholesterol management and blood pressure control – and encourage the doctors to take an active approach to treatment.

Officials say the impact could be substantial, given the estimated 25 percent of New York City residents who suffer from hypertension, with less than half having their blood pressure under adequate control. By keeping people well, a key goal of this new program is to cut preventable hospitalization by 17 percent, reducing overall medical expenses in New York City significantly.

"There are substantial avoidable costs associated with the management of chronic conditions," said Laurel Pickering, executive director of the New York Business Group on Health, a coalition of employer purchasers. "By reducing preventable complications incurred by most patients, we could considerably improve the health of employees and at the same time save employers billions of dollars."

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OAKLAND, CA – Kaiser Permanente is donating its Convergent Medical Terminology (CMT) for open access to help boost the country's transition from paper-based medical records to electronic health records.

CMT underpins the Kaiser Permanente electronic health record called KP HealthConnect.

Terms are captured within the EHR and turned into terms that patients can understand, Kaiser officials explained at the Sept. 29 announcement of its gift.  For example, MI (for myocardial infarction) turns in heart attack, or HT translates to hypertension. David Blumenthal, MD, the national coordinator of health IT, said,  "It's like a continuous translation of different languages."

The donation of the Kaiser-developed technology would enable any vendor to incorporate the capability into their products and make them available to their clients.

Kaiser Permanente is donating CMT, the results of years of work at Kaiser, to the International Healthcare Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO) for U.S. distribution through the Department of Health and Human Services so that all healthcare providers - large and small - can benefit from the translation-enabling technology. 

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