December 19, 2012 John DeGaspari
news
In an analysis of national malpractice claims, Johns Hopkins patient safety researchers estimate that a surgeon in the United States leaves a foreign object such as a sponge or a towel inside a patient's body after an operation 39 times a week, performs the wrong procedure on a patient 20 times a week and operates on the wrong body site 20 times a week.
July 20, 2011 Gwyndle Kravec
article
The Social Security number (SSN) has evolved over the years from an identification number used primarily when enrolling for Social Security benefits to its present status as the de facto national identifier-and a prime target for identity thieves. Widely used in healthcare as a patient identifier, the SSN nonetheless creates numerous risks for patients, including privacy and security, identity theft, and identity fraud. Indeed, these risks were considered significant enough to prompt the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to assess how hospitals were using and protecting patient SSNs.
May 5, 2011 David Raths
blog
A recent trend at industry conferences is the embedding of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags into conference badges. Most attendees are probably unaware of the tracking. Yet some attendees have expressed resentment about having their movements tracked, and as with health information exchanges, questions are being raised about whether conference organizers should change the tracking from opt-out to opt-in participation. When HIMSS announced the RFID tracking last fall, the HIStalk blogger responded that “being tracked as nothing more than a roving sales prospect is just insulting.”
February 21, 2011 John Degaspari
article
Barcodes are a proven technology for reducing medication administration errors, while RFID tags show promise for tracking of assets as well as personnel and patients. Yet implementation has been slow, as hospitals struggle with cost and complexity issues.
February 17, 2011 John DeGaspari
blog
There are plenty of potential applications for RFID in hospitals. Deciding where the technology makes the most sense requires taking into consideration the costs, benefits and the hospital’s existing infrastructure. One hospital that has spent considerable time and effort into looking at potential RFID applications is Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
February 3, 2011
blog
I recently had an opportunity to speak with Mark Neuenschwander, an expert in drug dispensing automation and an advocate for the use of barcode point-of-care systems in hospitals. His goal, he says, is to “get the nation collectively off the dime and to do barcoding at all points-of-care all of the time.” Neuenschwander estimates that about 35 percent of hospitals in the U.S. now scan medications at the point-of-care, where medications are administered. In 2001, only 3 percent of hospitals used barcoding at the point-of-care to administer medications to patients, he says.
June 24, 2010
news
The Boston-based Center for Connect Health, a division of Partners Healthcare, have announced initial findings of a medication adherence study which
March 28, 2010 Kate Huvane Gamble
article
With all of the issues C-suite leaders have dealt with over the past year or so, from mergers to meaningful use, it's understandable that certain IT projects have been placed on the backburner. But as organizations move forward, smart CIOs are looking past implementations such as CPOE and identifying tools to improve workflow and save costs.
February 25, 2009 Mark Hagland
article
With so many health systems facing financial difficulties, there is increasing demand for techniques that can cut costs without requiring a significant outlay of resources. One method being utilized by a small number of facilities to more effectively allocate resources is performance improvement (PI), an idea built around the concept of identifying inefficiencies and fixing the problems.
February 1, 2009 Kate Huvane Gamble
article
Asset tracking has come a long way. And while some organizations monitor the trends, those who have adopted the technology are seeing cost-saving benefits.
September 25, 2008 Kate Huvane
article
Fran Turisco In June, a report stated that radio frequency identification (RFID) tags used by hospitals to track devices such as IV pumps and
