Being part of an IS executive team is increasingly requiring more formalized education and preparation - particularly at teaching hospitals and multi-hospital systems. As clinical and financial software implementations move forward and the work of the IT team in hospitals and health systems becomes more complex and challenging, CIOs are looking at a variety of educational opportunities for themselves and their teams. In our cover story, “Back to School,” page 44, we investigate what types of educational opportunities exist both within the industry (CHIME, HIMSS) and outside of it (traditional University healthcare IT programs). We also take a look at how IT executives are nurturing the professional development of their teams.
The dream of one enterprise system database for different applications has not exactly turned out the way many in the industry had hoped. Today's hospitals have too many standalone clinical applications and not enough integration functionality. And while physician portals can tie many of these applications together, a more complete solution that some are embracing today is aggregation. In “The Great Aggregation,” page 14, we examine the emerging market in data aggregation solutions and talk to early adopter CIOs who are wrapping their arms around a solution that is helping deliver patient information from multiple sources in a standard format.
A growing number of hospitals and health systems are implementing portals to improve the patient experience and streamline clinician workflow. This month, our two-part portal coverage looks at both the financial and administrative angles of this growing trend. In Part I, “Footing the Bill,” page 20, we show how effective CIOs are tying sophisticated financial functions into the overall portal strategy. In Part II, “Is it Registering?” page 24, we report on how CIOs are using portals to increase efficiency and improve patient satisfaction by enabling them to pre-register, manage appointments, view laboratory results online and receive targeted education prior to visits.
Healthcare Informatics 2009 May;26(5):10
