Interested CIOs, CMIOs, consultants and analysts may contact the writers until Aug. 10.
October Cover Story
Managing Uncertainty (two parts)
As initiative after unclear initiative piles up (HITECH, ICD-10, overall healthcare reform), CIOs must devise methods of moving forward strategically in an uncertain, unstable environment where diaphanous projects come into focus and go out, where deadlines are established and then mysteriously postponed, much like a stay of execution. In addition, the country and industry find itself in a deep and prolonged recession, making access to capital a further challenge.
In part one of our story, we’ll go through these initiatives one-by-one, providing an overview of the specifics around what is being called for, by whom, and when. We’ll investigate just how CIOs are mastering the art of the unknown, both in terms of dealing with shifting, competing priorities and the upward trajectory of their presence in the organization. Contact: [email protected]
In part two, we’ll talk to CIOs who have already begun to incorporate these sweeping changes into their budget process, offering clarity for their CEO and CFO, while allowing the flexibility necessary to react to changing market conditions. In these profiles, we’ll reveal four detailed case studies of exactly how specific CIOs (and institutions) are grappling with change and uncertainty. Contact: [email protected]
Clinical
Evidence-Based Medicine & Clinical-Decision Support
Many believe that adhering to evidence-based protocols will be part of overarching healthcare reform in this country. But the subject raises many questions, starting with which CDS system to use. Some vendors sell these solutions as part of their core clinical offerings, but there are also many best of breed solutions that need to be interfaced with an EMR. Lastly, many hospitals have gone ahead and written the own home grown rules. Do any of these work better than others, and what are the downsides of each? We’ll talk to CIOs who are using CDS at their hospitals and find out what they’ve learned. Contact: [email protected]
Administrative
While a select few healthcare organizations have achieved complete EMR adoption, many are still making the long (and often painful) transition to paperless systems. For some of these hospitals, it means dealing with manual registration and billing processes, with paper orders that are sent in from other facilities, and must then be integrated with the patient record. This article will examine the different stages of “paperless-ness” that hospitals are currently in, and explore the practicality of leveraging scanning and document management to piece together patient records. We’ll look at what this means in terms of quality reporting, and how CIOs are working to determine the optimal record management strategy for their organization. Contact: [email protected]
Wireless
In recent years, a great deal of attention has been placed on preventative care in the hospital setting, as the Joint Commission and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement have launched initiatives focused on avoiding incidents of medical harm. As a result, hospitals are turning to wireless technologies that utilize sensors to help monitor at-risk patients. This article will look at some of the technologies being deployed in hospital settings like the ICU, and how they integrate with communication systems to alert caregivers when patients are in distress. It will also explore the collaboration that is required between the clinical and IT departments, and what is needed from an infrastructure standpoint to leverage these technologies. Contact: [email protected]
Imaging
RIS Rationales
At a time when PACS systems have become largely commoditized, what goes into a radiology information system (RIS) can translate into sales. This means that some vendor solutions are definitely more advanced than others, and that the RIS market is in some ways a more complex one to evaluate. Added to this, there remain vendors that offer freestanding RIS systems, while some core HIS vendors have PACS modules but still don't have full RIS capabilities. Given all this, how are CIOs strategizing in the current market on RIS functionality, and what are industry experts advising them to do going forward? We'll examine the issues and look at the evolving product market. Contact: [email protected]
Policy
The Best of David Raths’ Policy Blog (Contact: [email protected])
