After Douglas Menefree joined the Schumacher Group as CIO, he completed a business process review. He then challenged the software and healthcare divisions of the company to come together and focus their processes in order to best care for people. Menefree helped the overworked IT group shift from developing and maintaining software and systems to […]
Healthcare CIOs Focused on EHR and Infrastructure
One of the primary technology challenges for healthcare facilities is EHR implementation. According to a study by Level 3 Communications, CIOs are focused on meeting the impending federal deadlines.[1] Over half of those surveyed believe that EHR implementation and Meaningful Compliance will improve overall patient care. In addition to meeting EHR deadlines, healthcare facilities are […]
Healthcare Facilities Must Adapt or Die
While healthcare facilities exist to treat the sick and improve wellness, many of those same facilities limp forward struggling to survive. USA Today reported that on average 89 hospitals had closed per year over the past ten years,[1] while healthcare experts David Houle and Jonathan Fleece suggest that by 2020 one-third of U.S. hospitals will close their […]
Technology and Energy Efficiency In Healthcare
As healthcare facilities consider ways to help lower costs while improving services, they might consider ways that IT can help lower energy consumption. William Pentland at Forbes highlighted the energy consumption problems in healthcare. In “Heal Thy Self: U.S. Hospitals Are Huge Energy Hogs,” Pentland writes that hospitals over 200,000 sq. feet are “gluttonous consumers […]
Big Data in Healthcare
Over the past few years, multiple healthcare experts have been heralding the role big data will come to play in healthcare. With the press for EHR/EMR protocols, healthcare organizations have been digitizing more data than ever before. This massive data collection ultimately will help improve healthcare delivery in quality of care, hospital safety, refining cost […]
Humanizing Healthcare Through Technology
The convergence of technology and healthcare has been rapidly advancing over the last five years. While the possibilities are amazing, one could lose sight of the human patient in the midst of advances. Doctors are facing this challenge of keeping care front and central even in the midst of new advances. As Dr. Paul A. Heineken trains young […]
Towards a Healthcare BI Plan
Healthcare business intelligence can potentially improve patient care and reduce costs when used effectively within a given facility. At the same time, using BI within a healthcare environment comes with a range of challenges due to the critical nature of the environment, the massive amount of complex data that needs accurate interpretation, and the caution […]
Reducing Risks with Mobile Devices in Healthcare
From malware to information theft to interruption services, there are a range of serious threats facing the ever-increasing wireless communication in the healthcare environment. While there are serious risks associated with mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, Medical Devices (MDs), and more) in healthcare, there are also incredible benefits. It’s not really an option to lock-down wireless […]
Desktop Virtualization and EMR
Virtualization offers one way you can help reduce the stress of EMR implementation by speeding adoption while simplifying the demand on clinicians. When you implement desktop virtualization, staff and clinicians can use a thin client for accessing a “virtual” PC that runs on a server in a data center. Easy Access Desktop virtualization simplifies access […]