Brigham and Women's Studying Impact of Telephone Follow-up
Researchers from Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are utilizing the CallAssure system from Vocantas Inc. (Ottawa) to assess the impact of automated telephone follow-up systems on the management of patients taking commonly prescribed medications.
CallAssure uses voice response and speech technology to enable providers to evaluate real-time patient data. The system, which supports HL7 standards, automatically records any symptoms the patient is experiencing in a note which is then attached to the patient's electronic record. Study researchers hope that this outreach can facilitate communication between patients and their physicians between visits to address potentially serious issues, according to the company.
The project is being led by Jennifer Haas, M.D., at BWH's Division of General Medicine. Haas' research has focused on the use of technology to improve the quality and safety of patient care, as well as access to care.
Children's Health Selects CIS for New Facility
As part of its “Keeping Promises” initiative to create a state-of-the-art facility to help deliver the highest levels of pediatric patient safety, the company says CHS will deploy Eclipsys' acute care, pharmacy, medication management and evidence-based clinical documentation solutions, the company says. In combination, it claims, these integrated applications will help CHS create a closed-loop medication management process, support dosing protocols, as well as standardized care delivery across multiple sites.
According to the company, CHS is one of the 10 busiest pediatric medical centers in the country. It is one of only about 45 freestanding acute care hospitals of its kind in the nation and is the only hospital in Alabama dedicated solely to the care and treatment of children.
Sisters of Mercy Adopts GSI Standards for Supply Chain
Resource Optimization & Innovation (ROi), the St. Louis, Mo.-based Sisters of Mercy Health System's supply chain operating division, is adding specific terms to contract language requiring the use of GS1 standards in transactions and in production processing.
According to the hospital, amended contract language is being sent to all ROi and Mercy contracted suppliers requiring the use of GS1 standards. These standards include: Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN); Global Location Number (GLN); and Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN).
GS1 standards provide a framework that ensures effective exchanges between companies and act as basic guidelines that facilitate interoperability and provide structure to many industries.
Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX, Louisville, Colo.), an electronic commerce exchange in the healthcare industry, is assisting ROi and Mercy in enabling the use of GS1 standards, as Mercy transacts many of its purchases with suppliers through the GHX exchange, says the hospital.
Belgium Hospital Revamps Network to Support Tracking
St. Trudo Hospital, a 310-bed hospital that serves the Limburg and Vlaams-Brabant regions of Belgium, has installed a Cisco (San Jose, Calif.) Unified Wireless Network to support Redwood City, Calif.-based AeroScout's Unified Asset Visibility (UAV) solution, including WiFi-based active radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to track and manage expensive specialty mattresses, IV pumps and wheelchairs that are required throughout the facility.
St. Trudo also uses the wireless network to accurately monitor the temperature inside the hospital's data center, says the company.
Systems integrator and Cisco Gold Certified Partner, NextiraOne (Lawrence, Pa.) led the design and installation of the context-aware wireless network, composed of more than 250 access points.
