The article about Pediatric Associates in CA has a nugget with a potentially outsized impact: the implication that VFC vaccines…
News 11/1/12
From Evan Steele: “Re: SRS and Sandy. A tree fell and took down a telephone pole right by our office, so we are without power. Our phone system is in the cloud, so any employee with power and Internet is working from home (they just plug their office phone into their cable modem and their extension works). Employees without power and Internet are working out of a conference room in a hotel. We haven’t missed a beat and are fully servicing our clients – AMAZING!” It is truly amazing, given the reports that more than eight million people from North Caroline to Maine lost power at some point during the storm. SRS, which is based in Montvale, NJ, may be headquartered in a hotel conference room for a few more days — the local utility provider says it will take 10 days to restore power to the remaining 225,000 affected people.
Pulse Systems co-founders and brothers Basil Hourani and Alif Hourani resign from their posts as CEO (Basil) and CTO (Alif) and CFO Jeff Burton takes over as president and CEO. The French technology company Cegedim purchased the company two years ago for $61 million.
An AHIMA-published article explores what physicians want in ambulatory EHRs and why, until recently, HIT vendors have ignored their needs. A Mayo Clinic study previously concluded that vendors need to include several specific features and functionality in order to increase EHR adoption in practices, including:
- a flexible, customizable, virtual workspace
- workflows that mimic paper-based processes
- intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces
- the ability to work on multiple platforms, including mobile devices
- integrated clinical guidance
The evolution of cloud-based computing and smart mobile platforms are now making EHRs more affordable and attractive to physicians and spurring EHR use in practices. I’d add the obvious observation that MU and similar financial incentives are also impacting adoption.
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East Bay Eye Specialists (CA) selects SRS EHR for its four-physician practice.
CMS releases its list of 24 EHR Direct vendors that have qualified to submit quality data to CMS by EPs for the 2013 PQRS program year.
Does anyone other than me find it pittiful that a vendor would press release a four physician sale?
MDs can look to hospital RNs for longer-term results of EMRs that mimic paper-based workflows. This may look good in sales demos, ease MDs’ painful transition to EMRs and decrease training time. In practice this approach fails to capture benefits and power of computers. In short time users complain about drag on productivity and ask “is that all there is?”
Many developers observed RNs “fill out” disparate chart documents (eMar, nursing notes, care plans) and use tools (work lists, Kardex) they then replicated on line failing to analyze (much less streamline) underlying interrelated, complex processes or recognize duplicate data. They completely missed RN critical thinking (in MDI, med rec, med admin etc.) and human factors in patient care delivery and system design.
EMRs based on paper processes add work, are hard to use and disjointed (can introduce harm) and embed a diminished respect for RN role and critical thinking, relegating them to paper pushers and task masters largely replacable in many core processes with non-professional or lesser-skilled (lower paid) staff and over-sold IT.
MDs requesting automated paper workflows – beware of what you are asking for!