ROI & CPOE

The CPOE doubters have been legion since the concept first became known. But a certain degree of clarity has emerged due to dramatic advances in patient safety, clinical care quality, clinician workflow and organizational performance by some early adopters. In our cover story, “For All the Right Reasons,” page 40, we find out what it is these CPOE pioneers have already learned that the rest of the industry must grasp in order to succeed. Think of it as the CPOE value proposition, where the first critical step is to approach it from a patient safety and care quality perspective.

With readmissions under the microscope, smart CIOs know that chronic disease management is moving front and center. Most agree that keeping chronic disease patients out of the acute care setting will play a key role in keeping costs down. Congestive heart failure, diabetes and other chronic conditions can all be controlled - if they are effectively managed. In, “It's Not My Problem (Yet),” page 16, HCI talks to CIOs that use IT as a facilitator in hospital-based chronic disease management programs, and identifies which models are most effective.

During the past year, hospitals across the United States have felt the crunch of the recession, with executives being forced to trim already thin budgets. While there are no easy wins in IT, automated staff scheduling systems certainly come close. In, “Right on Schedule,” page 24, we talk to a number of organizations tackling these costs by implementing automated systems that house schedules in a central location, giving managers a birds-eye view to more effectively allocating resources.