It is my wish for all of us in the holiday season to reflect on why we are in health care. It is a profession dedicated to help the “Tiny Tims” of the world. Without health, we have nothing. It’s a privilege to work in an industry where we offer hope and healing.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Reach My Patient

Prior to 9/11 most of the attention on emergency management has been to the first responders—fire, police and EMS. It was assumed that hospitals “had their act together” and didn’t need training. However with the creation of the Homeland Security department, the government realized hospitals were a major component of responding to a terrorist act and recovering from a disaster—man-made or natural.

After 2 days of lectures, my class conducted an actual disaster drill. It was  conducted at the former Noble Army hospital on Fort McClellan. The hospital, with its décor stuck in the 60’s, gave a surprisingly  realistic feel on how an actual disaster would take place. Noble Hospital is truly the unluckiest hospital in America. During our disaster, we dealt with a acid chemical spill that sent a noxious fume of sulfuric acid over a small town, a bomb threat, an infant abduction, a helicopter crash on the helicopter pad and a total power failure—all within 3 hours.

The instructors wanted to make the exercise as realistic as possible. Inside the facility, the working TV studio gave live updates to the incident command center. About 30 actors came into the ED with injuries. A fake FBI officer came in with his dog to sniff out the bomb. The officer yelled at the Incident Commander for dismantling the bomb without consulting the FBI. (How were we suppose to know that he was coming?) The FAA was also mad because the hospital officials removed the wreckage from the heli pad without them doing a proper investigation.

This drill go t me to thinking on how important communication is in a disaster drill. Technology is essential to communicating in a crises situation. During the training exercise we had access to TV, e-mail, phone and radios. However, what we communicated over the radio was key to making the event a success. Speaking clear, concise words is key. Closing the communication loop is essential to ensure everyone was on the same page. Timely information is especially important to keep the rumor mill from getting out of control.

Disasters response must be practiced in order for them to be effective. I’m truly thankful for the opportunity to practice it at America’s unluckiest hospital.

Reach My Patient

“There’s a large operations team that comes out and works with (staff) for a couple weeks and helps support them,” said Laurie Jensen, director of clinic operations at Sanford clinics in Adrian, Luverne and Worthington. “The ultimate goal is that we don’t use a paper record anymore, so that tests and orders and prescriptions and all of those things become electronic.”

Since Sanford adopted the EMR software, called Epic, about four years ago, it has been gradually implementing the program at all hospitals and clinics in the system.

Now it’s Worthington’s turn.

The Epic software, used widely in Minnesota and called docZ within the Sanford system, allows physicians and nurses to document each patient’s visit electronically, ordering medications and seeing test results via their computers.

The program also features MySanford Chart, which allows patients to communicate electronically with their healthcare provider, view their test results, renew prescriptions and even schedule their own appointments through a secure Web site.

Another docZ tool is the After Visit Summary.

“The physician can give that to the patient and it summarizes the physician’s notes for the day and any labs or testing done and a treatment plan or goals,” explained Jensen.

The program went live Nov. 12 at the Sanford Worthington Clinic and should better streamline communication between a patient’s healthcare team and simplify patient billing, said Holly Sieve, marketing coordinator for the Sanford Worthington hospital and clinic.

“It’s adding a lot of efficiencies in communications,” Jensen said. “If a patient is seen in another (Sanford) clinic, it all ties together.”

Sanford is required by law to keep patients’ paper files for a 10-year period of time before destroying them.

Sanford Regional Hospital Worthington has made steps toward electronic recording, too, but Jensen said it is at an earlier stage of implementation.

“If (the clinic) orders a test to be performed at the hospital they would get that electronically,” she said, but the entire visit wouldn’t yet be electronically recorded.

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To learn more about EMR’s visit Reach My Patient

The Children’s Hospital, Kaiser Permanente Colorado and Exempla Healthcare are now live with an electronic health record (EHR) “health information exchange” system. It allows patients to show up at any one of the organizations’ hospitals and clinics and have their records instantly available to doctors with the click of a button.

Being able to see and share this information enhances the quality and continuity of care for patients, as doctors share vital patient medical information through secure, encrypted Internet connections. As a result, health information exchanges such as this one will allow doctors to more efficiently and accurately diagnose patients and recommend treatments.

“We no longer have to listen to voice-mail messages or try to decipher unclear faxes,” said David Kaplan, MD, chief medical information officer for The Children’s Hospital. “Doctors now have instant access to a patient’s up-to-date health records, which saves time and reduces errors.”

The partnership is a pioneering example of three independent health care organizations sharing patient health records electronically, and is a concrete example of how health care reform is taking place in Colorado. All records are up-to-date and changes are logged in real time, helping the quality of patient care, no matter where and by whom they are seen.

Less than two percent of health care facilities nationally are using fully electronic health records, and only a handful are exchanging health information in this integrated manner — highlighting the uniqueness of the relationship between the three providers.

“The Obama administration has made it very clear that improving the nation’s health care system hinges partly on modernizing our industry with electronic health records, and then encouraging these systems to become more connected,” said Robert Miller, MD, of Kaiser Permanente. “As a pediatrician, I’ve seen the benefits of health-IT exchange first-hand. With quicker access to more information, I can now diagnose, treat and care for the children in my practice with even greater confidence and improved results.”

The three providers are in the process of an extended pilot program to test the system, and officially went online with the CareEverywhere electronic health care record software system this summer.

Access to patient records are secure and require authorization.

The foundational systems making this exchange possible are commonly referred to as EHRs or electronic medical records (EMRs), and can hold a wide variety of information including immunization records, blood type, lab results, X-rays, allergies, medical histories, current and past medications and dosages.

While investing in the switch from paper to electronic records costs millions of dollars, the result leads to more efficient, cost effective health care with improved safety, quality and communication.

Dr. Kaplan of Children’s Hospital adds that throughout the process, providers have kept a clear focus that while EHR is an important tool, it will never replace the doctor-patient relationship. A doctor will always make the diagnosis and prescribe treatment, not a computer. Having EHR available to health care providers will only complement that relationship.

“Traditionally, getting medical records from other organizations has been time consuming and inconvenient to the degree that clinicians are often forced to make decisions without complete information,” said Joe Heaton, vice president and chief medical information officer at Exempla Healthcare. “The systems we have put in place now allow for faster and more efficient access to clinical information, which ensures that our patients have uninterrupted continuity of care between the doctor’s office and the hospital.

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To find out more information on EMR’s please visit Reach My Patient

Yashik Singh, lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s department of tele-health, says m-health is the next big step in terms of healthcare delivery. “Mobile penetration is very high in SA, with GSM coverage estimated at 93%. Leveraging this infrastructure is vital and the benefits to healthcare are limitless.”

According to a recent UN report on the opportunity of mobile technology for healthcare, 64% of all mobile phone users are now found in developing countries.

It adds that estimates reveal half of all individuals in remote areas of the world will have mobile phones by 2012. “This growing ubiquity of mobile phones is a central element in the promise of mobile technologies for health,” it states.

Several m-health programmes have been rolled out in SA, with initiatives such as Project Masiluleke providing information and surveys via SMS.

A collaborative effort between the Praekelt Foundation, iTeach, LifeLine, Nokia, and MTN, among others, Project Masiluleke uses the 120 spare characters in “please call me” messages for HIV education and awareness. According to Project Masiluleke, it sends out one million text messages throughout SA each day, encouraging people to be tested and treated for HIV/Aids.

These messages connect mobile users to existing HIV and TB call centres, where trained operators provide callers with healthcare information, counselling and referrals to local testing clinics.

Gustav Praekelt, MD of the Praekelt Foundation, which developed the technology for the project, says mobile technology provides an efficient and low-cost way to communicate, on an individual basis, with people most in need of social and development services.

According to Singh, the portability of m-health can improve quality of care. “Guidelines may be referred to in any location that has cellphone coverage. The caregiver may log onto a Web site via the mobile network and determine the next course of action given the circumstances. This will also reduce the number of referrals to hospitals,” he says.

Remember me

One of the project’s services, TxtAlert, sends messages to patients on ARV therapy, reminding them of scheduled clinic appointments, to ensure they remain on their treatment regime. Praekelt says the immediacy of SMSes can help prevent communication bungles that waste time and money.

“In the past, people had to walk long distances, get on a taxi, and wait in long queues to access treatment, only to find out (as they get to the front of the queue) that their appointment was actually scheduled for the next day, and they have to come back the next day,” explains Praekelt.

“With mobile technology, you can remind someone of their appointment via SMS, allow them to reschedule that appointment if the date does not suit them, and incentivise them (via an airtime transfer for example) if they attended on time.”

Tomorrow’s tech

Konstantinos Tzingakis, director of innovations and new business services at Ericsson, believes that, as mobile technology progresses, increasingly advanced m-health solutions will be made possible. “This includes everything from the simple communication of medicinal reminders or test results, to making real-time online mobile diagnoses and healthcare tracking across the nation.”

According to Tzingakis, one of Ericsson’s health services is mobile diagnosis, where trained workers go into villages and collect medical information and photos of people with ailments. This data is sent to doctors hundreds of kilometres away to diagnose and prescribe medicines in real-time. The health worker can then prepare and administer these medications to the patient on site.

Tzingakis says the convergence of health and mobile has made the possibility of healthcare a reality for everyone. “We have only begun to scratch the surface of what is possible through mobile technologies. Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest ones, so much so that they are sometimes overlooked.”

Singh notes that mobile networks may eventually give rise to virtual mobile hospitals, where patients can use these technologies to contact clinicians. “This will allow patients or caregivers to be in contact with experts from various locations. Imagine the implications in times of natural disasters and war.”

Praekelt believes self-service mobile systems will be one of the major future developments. “The best way to have a lasting effect is to place more control in the hands of patients. Providing mobile services for patients to access health information and medical history will empower a holistic understanding of their health.”

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For information on Mobile Healthcare Communication Systems please visit Reach My Patient

With the latest enhancements, Office Ally becomes the only company in the marketplace that brings providers and payers a comprehensive array of free to low-cost electronic connectivity services.

“Office Ally’s goal is to connect physicians and health care providers to their patients and payers for efficiency, lower costs, and improved patient care,” said Brian O’Neill, president. “Our technology is already providing real solutions to providers and payers and removing the cost barriers that have, until now, prevented physicians from adopting this connectivity. Our newest enhancements benefit patients as well as physicians and payers, moving us closer to realizing the vast potential to better health care at a national level, through electronic connectivity.”

Office Ally offers a simple-to-use web-based integrated system that connects patients, providers, and payers with a range of services. Its products include:

• EHR 24/7—a complete and easily customizable electronic health record (EHR) system
• Practice Mate—a free web-based practice management system
• Office Ally Clearinghouse—http://www.officeally.com—a free electronic submission and turnkey claims processing service

The cornerstone of the new enhancements is a user-friendly portal, Patient Ally, which enables electronic office visits (e-visits), messaging between patients and providers, easier creation of electronic health records (EHR), appointment reminders, prescription refills, HEDIS and HCC report cards for providers and well care report cards for patients.

Patient Ally is a personal health record tool that interfaces with Office Ally’s Practice Management System, Practice Mate, and its EHR system, EHR 24/7. Patient Ally allows patients to fill out pre-enrollment paperwork online before their visit, providing even greater convenience for patients and improved efficiencies for office staff. Patients can use the messaging feature to send important information to physicians such as immunization records or test results, all while creating their own personal health record. With the e-visits feature, established patients can communicate with their physicians about routine illnesses online. Patients enter the Patient Ally portal and provide details about their symptoms and answer some basic questions. The proprietary, clinically-based software will then make recommendations to the provider (e.g., sounds like an infection that can be cured with an antibiotic). The physician can take the software’s suggestion, or make their own recommendation (e.g., call in a prescription or ask the patient to come in).

In addition to improving efficiencies and cost savings for physicians and offering greater convenience for patients, the tools in Patient Ally make the use and creation of EHRs easy and convenient for physicians. Patient Ally connects to Office Ally’s EHR system, EHR 24/7, as well as competing systems. Physicians that do not yet have an EHR can use Patient Ally to create an EHR “lite” and migrate to a full system when ready. While many practice management vendors charge thousands of dollars for this service, Office Ally offers Patient Ally, including its ability to enable EHR, free of charge to physicians.

Additional enhancements to Office Ally include:

Auto-Adjudication. Office Ally’s auto-adjudication helps physicians to determine patient eligibility and copays at the time of the office visit. Because physicians can collect payments up-front—before the patient leaves the office—they don’t have to wait for payments from the insurer or patient. The feature also helps to minimize wasted administrative time due to communication with patients and payers on billing. The software can also set up an automatic payment plan for patients, complete with electronic checks or credit cards.

Reminder Mate. Reminding patients of appointments has long been a time-consuming and frustrating task for physicians. The average practice can lose up to $144,000 a year in revenue due to missed patient appointments.¹ Administrative costs to make reminder calls are also substantial. Office Ally’s new Reminder Mate system is a proprietary automated tool that calls patients the day before to remind them of appointments, eliminating the need to have staff perform this function and reducing or eliminating “no shows.” A provider’s staff member will spend up to two hours a day calling patients to remind them of their appointment. Two hours worth of wages would cover the cost of Reminder Mate for the month.

Electronic Attachments. While electronic attachment options have been available for a few years, most physicians don’t have the capability to send claims back-up information electronically. However, a growing number of large insurers are now requiring physicians to submit paperless claims back-up. The benefit to physicians is that by submitting electronically, the claims process can begin immediately, thus ensuring prompt payment and less wasted administrative time with payers. Office Ally offers this feature at no charge to its customers.

About Office Ally:

Office Ally is a national full service medical claims clearinghouse and electronic connectivity company based in Vancouver, Washington. The company offers effective free or low-cost IT services that help to lower health care costs and provide more efficiencies for physicians, payors, and patients, including medical claims filing, practice management, electronic medical records, and personal health records systems.

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Please visit Reach My Patient for Electronic Connectivity for Physicians

A lot has changed in the past year. Today marks a true watershed — Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services delivered a keynote at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) mHealth Summit in Washington D.C., that squarely focused on the “enormous” promise that wireless health holds for improving healthcare and empowering patients in the U.S. Her keynote wasn’t a vague lauding of an emerging industry either — (I must admit, that’s what I expected.) Instead, Sebelius, the head of our country’s healthcare programs and a member of the President’s Cabinet, seems to truly understand the impact wireless health will have in the years ahead:

“How we empower consumers and put patients back into the mix so that they become, not only responsible for their own health, but also so that they have an opportunity to monitor and participate in their own health interests. I think that there is no question that mobile technology, as discussed at this conference, is a part of that puzzle,” Sebelius said. “Mobile has huge advantages, including the fact that everybody has [a mobile phone]. Unfortunately, I have two. Some 90 percent of Americans have one so a [wireless health] system could be put in place that could touch just about everyone.”

“Some people dont go to websites… or watch TV, but that phone is with them all the time,” Sebelius said. The mobile has “so much power to empower consumers and compel us to a healthcare system of the future.”

Sebelius gave a few examples of physicians and healthcare groups that are already leveraging mobile devices and wireless networks to provide better care for their patients. She said that one doctor in Texas already sends test results via text message and reminds people about their care regimens through their mobile phones, too. Another healthcare group in Florida is using text messaging to alert patients about the waiting times at the nearest emergency rooms, Sebelius said. A number of care providers are looking to mobile to offer appointment reminder services, too, she said.

“While the technology is clearly still in its early stages, we can already begin to imagine where mobile phones fit into” our healthcare system, Sebelius said. You can imagine “Americans taking pictures or videos of their symptoms and [using that to] have much more robust conversations with their doctors,” Sebelius said. “We are encouraging them to do that with their doctors now with the flu — to research their symptoms and bring that information to their doctors.”

Sebelius noted that the government is in the middle of a “historic multi billion investment in electronic health records as part of the government’s recovery plan… clearly [wireless] technology can help inform that new system. The introduction of mobile technology to this move towad EHRs for all Americans is a huge tool in the toolkit, which will allow us to drive better care and better outcomes.”

“What we know is that for the generation that is under 40 years old, mobile is an extraordinarily good way to reach younger people and get messages across,” Sebelius said. The government is currently working on a couple of wireless health projects including an HIV testing information text messaging program, an H1N1 update text messaging feed, and the Text4Baby program, which we have written about extensively here.) Sebelius also announced that the Text4Baby program included previously undisclosed partners CTIA and Johnson & Johnson.

“President Obama and we at the HHS very strongly believe that this is the wave of the future,” Sebelius said.

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Smile Reminder’s text confirmation feature allows patients to confirm their upcoming appointments electronically. When a patient replies to an appointment confirmation message on their cell phone with any of the following six keywords, the appointment is automatically confirmed in the Smile Reminder system:

C
Conf
Confirm
Confirming
Y
Yes

“Patients want to make their appointments,” said Smile Reminder’s Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Mark Olson. “However, it’s easy to forget an appointment scheduled several days or weeks in advance. If we help doctors reach their patients in a manner that is convenient to the practice and the patient, they both benefit. The result is time saved, revenue generated and patient loyalty increased.”

To read original article click here