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 e-mail the writers listed below. Inquiries regarding these stories are welcome until Nov. 12.
And, as always, if you’ve got other story suggestions for us, let me know.
Thanks,
Anthony Guerra, Editor-in-Chief
Cover Story: Growing on Trees?
Our two part cover story will look at the millions of dollars in healthcare IT grants and other awards around the country, and how “CIOs in the know” can get their share. In Part I (Mark Hagland), we’ll talk to CIOs that have received grant money to find out how they did it and what they’re doing with it. In Part II (David Raths), we’ll get into the details of where to find the money and the best practices in applying for it.
Clinical (Daphne Lawrence)
For many hospitals, the majority of admissions are through the emergency room. But if a patient is delivered by ambulance, what happens to clinical information gathered before the patient hits the ED? Can IT systems link that EMT data into the ED’s electronic record even before the ambulance arrives? HCI will take a look at extending the continuum of care prior to the patient’s arrival — from the initial 911 call to the EMT findings taken on the scene and in the ambulance. We also find out if a hospital must have its own fleet of ambulances to access EMT data. We’ll show you what cutting edge hospitals are getting emergency clinical data into the clinician’s hands — and saving precious time — even before the ambulance pulls up to the door.
Finance (Daphne Lawrence)
Medicare is stepping up the RAC (Recovery Audit Contractor) program — and the pressure is on as hospitals gear up for a new wave of audits. What can a CIO do to make sure the process goes smoothly? We’ll give you background, a step-by-step analysis of the RAC process (including what typically will trigger an audit), and what CIOs should expect to encounter. And we’ll talk to CIOs to find out how they are using IT systems to analyze coding, compliance and reimbursement issues — and provide tracking and reporting on issues identified in the audit process.
Administrative (Kate Huvane Gamble)
A large number of hospitals are facing significant challenges with issues like overcrowding in the ED, delayed wait times for patients, and inefficiencies in workflow. With many organizations filled to capacity every day, the options facing healthcare executives are to either improve patient flow or expand the facility; but in the current economic climate, the latter isn’t always feasible. This article will examine how some CIOs are leveraging real-time technologies and intuitive dashboards to create a centralized source for patient flow information. It will also look at how enterprise-wide patient flow systems can improve workflow and throughput, facilitate more effective communication between departments and IT systems, and assist in performance reporting and long-term strategic planning.
Wireless (Kate Huvane Gamble)
With mandates being passed for health systems to implement CPOE, hospital executives are expressing concerns as to whether the wireless infrastructure they have in place can accommodate such a large-scale application. To that end, industry leaders are collaborating to provide assessment solutions that can help determine whether a wireless network is reliable. This article will look at the impact a facility’s wireless infrastructure can have on a CPOE implementation; examine the validity of assessment services and solutions; and determine the most effective ways — and the right time — to put wireless to the CPOE test.
Imaging (Mark Hagland)
The Future of Imaging: Executive and Expert Views (Part II)
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.
