At HCI, we rely on our readers to help make our stories deeply useful and effective. Please take a close look at the lineup below. If you are a C-suite technology leader, consultant or analyst interested in participating, please send me an e-mail. Inquiries regarding these stories are welcome until Oct. 15.
And, as always, if you’ve got other story suggestions for us, let me know.
Thanks,
Anthony Guerra, Editor-in-Chief
Cover Story
New Paradigm: Hospitals Move Toward Co-Development for Strategic Innovation
These days, more hospital organizations than ever are turning to strategic partnerships with vendors in order to move more rapidly in clinical IS development. Co-development is becoming an effective channel for innovative IT development, particularly as the innovations being sought, especially in clinical areas, are increasingly complex and require granular-level participation by clinicians and other end-user experts. So what are the leading-edge strategies now in IS co-development? And what lessons are being learned? This story will look at the spread of the co-development trend beyond the first handful of pioneering academic medical centers as it moves out into mid-sized teaching hospitals and some community hospitals. HCI will speak with CIOs in the trenches of co-development, and with consultants, IT experts inside partnering vendor organizations, and industry experts. A sidebar will give CIO and IT executive readers tips on whether and how to jump into the co-development wave.
Clinical
As of Oct. 1 2008, hospital acquired infections are no longer just patient safety issues — they will impact a hospital’s bottom line. Medicare changes in this space mean that hospitals will no longer be reimbursed for treating several HAIs, and that list will grow. HCI looks at the CIO’s role in preventing hospital acquired infections in order to ensure that patients (and the bottom line) are not at risk. What IT solutions are CIOs using today to bring these numbers down? We find out what some CIOs are doing to help insure compliance with the new HAI regulations, including clinical and EMR prompts, and what CIOs are doing to make sure their clinical staff has the right IT tools to reduce the HAI risk.
Financial
You just found out your hospital is part of a merger. As CIO, how do you protect your position during this challenging time? HCI will talk to CIOs on both sides of a merger (the acquiring and the acquired) to see how they handled important issues like keeping the IT staff on board, loyalties, navigating the waters, and finally, deciding if and when it’s time to leave. Do CIOs need to show their expertise but not shine too brightly? We’ll see what some say is the best path to take.
Administrative
A number of hospitals and health systems are leveraging barcoded sponge management systems to help monitor inventory and improve patient safety. While it is indeed an interesting use of technology, this tracking system is more than just the latest “cool” gadget, as it may play a key role in the flow of information and factor significantly into the supply chain. This article will examine the technology behind barcoded sponges and look at how this tracking tool integrates with other IT systems. It will also look at the trends hospitals are seeing with regard to barcoding and determine what CIOs need to know about this emerging technology.
Wireless
As the hospital setting becomes more wired, the role of chief technology officer (CTO) continues to evolve and the relationship between the CIO and the CTO becomes increasingly important. In this article, we will examine recent trends involving the CTO position — specifically, what types of organizations are adding CTOs to their leadership teams, what primary responsibilities are included with this position, what is the CTO’s involvement in strategic planning, and what is the level of collaboration between the CIO and CTO in terms of wireless implementations.
Imaging
The Future of Imaging: Executive and Expert Views (three-part series)
A panel of several experts, including industry-leading CIOs and industry experts, will discuss where imaging management is headed industry-wide in the next few years. Among the issues they will discuss are multi-year strategic planning for PACS implementation and replacement, new ways of looking at ROI for imaging management, the shift towards enterprise-wide imaging management and strategy, the evolution of the vendor product market, and relations with clinicians. Part one of the roundtable discussion, presented as a three-part series, will appear in the December issue of HCI.
Policy
What will certification efforts do for health information exchanges? On Oct. 1, after 14 months of development work and a pilot project, the Certification Commission for Healthcare IT launched a certification program for HIEs. Also, the state of New York is laying the foundation to certify regional health information organizations that will be part of its Statewide Health Information Network for New York. Are HIEs mature enough for certification, and what will these certification efforts measure? HCI will ask CCHIT and CIOs involved with HIEs to discuss the pros and cons.
