Quality Products & Resources
This column provides healthcare quality professionals with announcements of new products,
with company contact information, and of recently released media, with ordering and Internet
access information. It also gives up-to-the-minute descriptions of resources of interest to
healthcare quality professionals as they navigate the constant flood of information.
Products
Coker Group evaluates HealthMatics EMR
The Technology Report produced by the Coker Group describes the HealthMatics electronic
medical record (EMR) system implemented within a pediatric-pulmonary physician group office
practice. HealthMatics EMR was chosen by the medical group to target the enhancement of
physician productivity, patient care, cost-containment and support for research studies. This
system runs on standard NT platforms and includes Windows 2000 with Oracle Web-enabled
options for handheld personal digital assistants and laptops.
Although the true value of any software system is based on the benefit to the user, the
HealthMatics EMR was well received because of its user-friendliness and a streamlined
implementation process. The practice maintained its current management system until the EMR
system was fully integrated. Overall, the physician group derived substantial product
satisfaction in regard to improved patient medical records, Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act compliance, and an immediate decrease in transcription costs.
For more information about this independent analysis, contact the Coker Group at www.cokergroup.com.
Resources
Federal information technology framework announced
On April 27, 2004, President Bush announced his Healthcare
Information Technology (HIT) Initiative, setting a broad goal that most
Americans should have electronic medical records within 10 years. This
vision for the development and implementation of a nationwide
interoperable HIT infrastructure was further detailed in Executive
Order 13335, which also directed the appointment of David J. Brailer,
MD PhD, as the first National Coordinator for Health Information
Technology.
Charged to lead the nation's effort to achieve the common goal of
using information technology to improve affordability, safety, and
accessibility of healthcare in America, Dr. Brailer was directed to
deliver a report on progress toward a nationwide strategic plan for HIT
adoption within 90 days.
On July 21, 2004, Dr. Brailer launched a Framework for Strategic
Action entitled, the Decade of Health Information Technology:
Delivering Consumer-centric and Information- rich Health Care,
outlining 12 strategies that will achieve four goals critical to the
President's vision. These goals include the following: introduction of
information tools into clinical practice, electronic connection of
clinicians to other clinicians, using information tools to personalize
care delivery, and advancement of surveillance and reporting for
population health improvement. The National Coordinator and this
strategic framework will serve to stimulate the nation from a long
period of deliberation about HIT to a vigorous stage of action and
progress in the public and private sectors on this issue. The efforts
described in this report are aimed at promoting a more effective
marketplace, greater competition, and increased choice for consumers
through wider availability of information on healthcare costs, quality,
and safety.
In addition, individual reports from the Department of Veterans
Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the Office of Personnel
Management on how they can advance the adoption of health information
technology are attached to the framework. A comprehensive catalogue of
identifiable HIT programs is also included. Collectively, the framework
and related reports represent the foundation for rapid adoption of
health information technology across the nation.
For a full copy of the report, go to http://www.hhs.gov/onchit/framework/.
GAO Report cites need for national information technology strategy
In response to an earlier report issued by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) regarding
benefits to healthcare that could result from information technology, Congress requested that
another report be presented to outline the strategies needed to accelerate the implementation of
information technology (IT) in healthcare.
The report will validate for the reader the need for implementing IT initiatives in healthcare.
Successful outcomes, as a result of implementing IT initiatives, are well documented. There is
also a timely discussion of public health initiatives that would benefit from the use of IT. The
report recommends an approach to priority setting, standard setting, establishing milestones,
and monitoring mechanisms that are consistent with Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act guidelines.
The report, entitled: Health Care: National Strategy Needed to
Accelerate the Implementation of Information Technology (GAO-04-947T,
July 14, 2004, 12 pages), can be accessed at
http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-04-947T.
Leading practices enhance information technology training
The E-Government (E-Gov) Act of 2002 called for an effective training program of information
technology (IT) staff as crucial to developing and retaining a qualified workforce. In early 2003,
the GAO issued a report identifying 22 leading practices, grouped into 5 training management
processes used by private-sector companies to implement effective IT training. The five key
training management processes include: (a) align with goals, (b) identify needs, (c) allocate
resources, (d) design and deliver training, and (e) evaluate.
In June 2004, GAO issued a follow-up report entitled: Information Technology: Training Can
Be Enhanced by Greater Use of Leading Practices, to assess IT training in the federal
government. This report included the government's use of the 22 leading practices, to what
extent federal agencies use them, the major obstacles in providing effective IT training, how
agencies address them, and the progress made by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in
issuing policies and performing evaluations to encourage agencies to provide effective IT
training.
The report indicated that only 5 of the 22 leading IT training practices were used to a great or
very great extent in most federal agencies. In the area of evaluating training, none of the practices
were used widely. The most commonly cited obstacles to effective IT training were funding and
the associated time that is taken away from work. E-learning was found to be used to address
cost and training time issues. Findings also showed that OPM made limited progress in issuing
policies or performing evaluations regarding IT training. OPM has begun drafting guidance, but
it has not issued policies or evaluated agency implementation of the E-Gov Act. In response to a
draft of this report, OPM disagreed with the determinations regarding its role and progress with
respect to IT training.
For full copy of the report, go to http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04791.pdf.
Lenard Parisi is vice president for nursing at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. He is a member of JHQ's Editorial Board.
Reonel Saddul is nurse manager, clinical information systems, at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Ann Marie Mazzella-Ebstein is nurse leader, Surgical Day Hospital at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
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