January / February 2007
NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES
TRENDS
Medical Strategic Planning Acquires CSMed EHR Selector
Formerly Hosted by HIMSS
Medical Strategic Planning (MSP) is pleased to announce the CSMed EHR Selector, developed under the direction of Dr. Caroline Samuels and previously hosted by HIMSS at www.ehrselector.
com, has become the MSP EHR Selector. "As part of our plan to reach a wider audience, CSMed selected Medical Strategic Planning, Inc., (MSP) to manage further product enhancement and all marketing of the EHR Selector. The EHR Selector is currently used by HIMSS, ACP (American College of Physicians), AHQA (DOQIT) organizations in all 50 states, and numerous individual physicians," said Dr. Samuels.
"It is our privilege to work with Dr. Samuels to further enhance this groundbreaking EHR Selector. We have already begun to incorporate new functionality into it, including the ability for users to require CCHIT-Certification as one of the tool's 412 selection criteria," said Arthur Gasch, CEO/founder of MSP. MSP and CSMed have aligned objectives and a mutual desire to help practices find the verified information and tools to select EHRs that are cost-effective solutions to automating patient charting and practice workflow processes. The EHR Selector is part of MSP's vision to assemble a single, live repository of impartial, independent EHR information, useful to hospitals, physician practices, EHR developers, and other stakeholders, which can accelerate EHR system adoption. MSP is also the permanent Web home of the annual Andrew & Associates EHR Benchmark, a live repository of 225,000 EHR features supported by 107 EHR developers.
The MSP EHR Selector is an excellent way for physicians and physician office managers to learn about key EHR features and take control of the EHR selection process. The Selector is used to create a requirements list based on practice-specific needs, budget constraints, and other criteria. It includes more than 400 important product characteristics including practice size, specialties, software pricing, contract details, product features and functions, regulatory compliance, and training and support. Using the physician/user profile, the Selector "matches" it to EHR company descriptions, providing side-by-side comparisons of EHR companies' features and functions. It also incorporates help screens on key EHR features and functions, and allows the user to request product literature and a demo from EHR companies. In addition, the Selector enables users to model future needs on changes anticipated in practice workflow and to print out a checklist for a Request for Proposal.
The Internet URL for the EHR Selector, currently www.ehrselector.com, will remain unchanged, and the transfer from HIMSS to MSP will be largely transparent to all current EHR Selector clients.
Technology used by the CSMed EHR Selector was originally developed by Dr. Samuels and Computer-based Patient Record Institute (CPRI) and later redeveloped by HIMSS. CSMed is solely responsible for the contents of the EHR Selector.
Source: Medical Strategic Planning
Champion Offers Medical Recliner with Integrated Patient Scale System
 Champion Manufacturing now offers their popular medical recliner line with an integrated patient scale system. The system allows caregivers to monitor patient weight change throughout their treatment and to record weight data chair-side, utilizing a simple, user-friendly digital readout. By reducing the need to move a patient to a separate scale, the potential for patient and caregiver injury is reduced. The integrated patient scale also enhances accuracy and efficiency in record keeping. With an eye on added value, Champion has designed the system to allow retrofitting of existing Champion chairs.
Champion Manufacturing has introduced this newest innovation as a direct response to market demand according to Doug Keeslar, company president. "Our customers and the patients they serve are the driving force behind all product development," Keeslar said. "Our corporate philosophy is to partner with our customers to create the best healthcare environments. The development of this product helps our customers achieve their goals of safety, comfort, and operational efficiency."
Champion is recognized as a leading manufacturer of medical recliners and other healthcare seating nationally and internationally. Champion Manufacturing provides medical recliners to acute care, clinical care, and outpatient markets.
Source: Champion Manufacturing
JCR Releases Healing Words: The Power of Apology in Medicine, Second Edition
Patients often say that what they really want after an unexpected outcome is an honest and heartfelt apology from their care providers. Doctors, however, often worry that such an apology will lead to lawsuits. Not necessarily so, says Michael S. Woods, M.D.
In his powerful new book, Healing Words: The Power of Apology in Medicine, Second Edition, surgeon and physician leadership expert Woods offers healthcare providers detailed guidance on how to move from discussing the need for apology and disclosure to actually doing it.
In this follow-up to his groundbreaking first edition of Healing Words, Dr. Woods uses true stories, anecdotes, and compelling evidence that saying "sorry" helps healthcare professionals provide the best possible care for their patients, reduce the likelihood of litigation and promote healing for all involved.
Woods, who has discussed the need for apology in national publications such as Time and Self magazines, has updated the book to include new data and concepts as well as to emphasize the need for not only physicians, but also nurses, pharmacists, aides, and other care providers to apologize for unanticipated outcomes.
Healing Words: The Power of Apology in Medicine, Second Edition, is published by Joint Commission Resources (JCR), an affiliate of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Source: Joint Commission Resources
eICU® Program Reporting Solutions Provides Valuable Transparency into ICU Operations
Daily Management Reports Track IHI Best Practices in Real-Time
VISICU, Inc., announced the release of eICU® Reporting Solutions at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's National Conference in December. eICU Reporting Solutions is designed to meet the needs of all critical care stakeholders including bedside caregivers, ICU clinical leadership, and health system executives. It is composed of four main elements: Daily Management Reports, Core Reports, Benchmark Reports, and eSearchTM analysis and reporting.
For bedside caregivers, Daily Management Reports provide real-time, patient-centric data on the current status of best practice implementation. These reports identify omissions in recommended therapies and have been demonstrated to improve compliance with important, evidence-based practices, such as the IHI ventilator bundle, myocardial infarction bundle, and blood glucose management.
For the eICU-ICU management team, Core Reports provide on-demand population data for clinical outcomes and resource utilization, to help critical care leadership manage patient throughput and improve care. Core reports also provide valuable data on clinical interventions made from the eICU center and program integration.
For ICU directors and health system quality leadership, there are Benchmark Reports. These reports are prepared quarterly by VISICU and provide data on health system and ICU best practice performance and severity-adjusted mortality and length of stay (expressed as the ratio of observed to APACHE® III-predicted outcomes). All are calculated automatically from eICU Program data and benchmarked against data from other health systems within the eICU Program network. The reports are generated by VISICU and presented to health system leaders thereby eliminating any administrative burden.
Continuous quality improvement requires not only the measurement of performance but investigation into "outlier" data. Using a rule-based process, eSearch analysis transforms raw clinical data into actionable patient level measures. It then provides clinically relevant and customizable views for ad hoc and research reporting needs. eSearch also supports health systems with clinical data warehouses by providing a data export interface.
APACHE is a registered trademark of Cerner Corporation.
Source: VISICU
Dräger Medical Launches New Emergency and Transport Ventilation System
Oxylog 3000TM receives FDA clearance, offers ICU-level Performance and Mode Range for Adults and Children
Dräger Medical, Inc. announces the launch of its newest ventilation system, the Oxylog 3000, into the U.S. market. Designed for the demanding emergency and transport environments, the Oxylog 3000 is ideal for supporting critical-care patients in transfer situations. With its combination of volume and pressure-controlled and pressure support ventilation across the entire breathing cycle, the Oxylog 3000 delivers the high-end performance sought by today's caregivers.
Oxylog 3000 provides the flexibility of both comprehensive invasive or non-invasive ventilation support, including the ability to provide automatic back-up support for spontaneously breathing patients in the event of apneas. In addition, the Oxylog 3000 features integrated PEEP, and 100% oxygen flush — providing 3 minutes of pre-oxygenation and inspiration hold, for use during X-ray imaging.
The Oxylog 3000's tidal volume begins at just 50ml so it can be used for small children and adults alike. And its patented blender permits oxygen concentration adjustments between 40 percent and 100 percent with greater precision and range than previously possible. Designed and manufactured with the same attention to detail and performance as Dräger's high-end Evita ICU ventilators, the Oxylog 3000 represents a significant advance in emergency and transport ventilation systems.
"From its large, high-contrast display screen to its fast and easy control system, the Oxylog 3000 is built to support the needs of respiratory care professionals in a wide range of situations," noted Tim Scharn, marketing manager for Pre- and Post-Hospital Care at Draeger Medical, Inc. "We've greatly expanded the Oxylog's capabilities so that patients and caregivers benefit from its improved functionality, greater flexibility, and reliability."
Featuring an entirely new design, the Oxylog 3000 is light, compact, and easy to carry and use. It features a combination of the well-known Oxylog "knobs," for quickly setting the most vital parameters, and Dräger's familiar centralized rotary wheel for setting individual parameters. In addition, its robust, spray-proof construction and suitability for use in helicopters mean that the Oxylog 3000 can stand up to aggressive use in even the most extreme environments.
Source: Dräger Medical
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