Leadership Strategies for Reaching Top Performance Faster HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
It is not an easy task to move an average-performing hospital forward. Encouraging signs, such as the success of the 100,000 Lives Campaign and optimism on the part of hospital leaders, suggest that progress is being made. However, an objective analysis of publicly available data suggests otherwise, showing that nearly 2,000 boards and CEOs still face the problem of demonstrating any measurable improvement in performance during their tenure.

 Center of Excellence Certification Yields Ongoing Rewards HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
By using data to affect outcomes, Bay Medical Center's Heart Institute was the first in Florida to receive the JCAHO distinction – called the Gold Seal of Approval – and among the first in the nation to receive national accreditation in heart attack treatment.

 The Leading Online Career Site HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Monster.com is the leading online career site, providing solutions that give employers the tools they need to hire quickly and efficiently.

 Lessons Learned From a National Pay-for-Performance Program HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Pay for performance has finally come of age in healthcare. The Bridges To Excellence programs have identified 10 key ingredients to a successful program.
Francois de Brantes, Bridges To Excellence

 Unparalleled Insight Drives Improvement in Hospital Operations, Strategic Planning, Marketing and Patient Care HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Solucient is the leading expert at turning data into actionable insights, and is the most trusted source in the healthcare industry for decision-making tools and services that drive business growth, manage costs and help deliver quality care.

 Q&A With Grace-Marie Turner HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
If we don’t approach healthcare like other sectors of the economy, where consumers shop for value and seek services that are faster, better and cheaper, we’re doomed to default into a government-run healthcare system.
Grace-Marie Turner, Galen Institute

 Integrating Decision Support to Optimize Care HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Thomson Healthcare provides clinical and management decision support solutions that enable healthcare organizations to simultaneously improve quality of care, patient satisfaction, market growth and profitability.

 Q&A With Greta Sherman HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Although online job recruitment facilitates the hiring of more qualified candidates, the current staffing crisis in healthcare is about more than just that; it encompasses better education and enhanced practice environments as well.

 SAS® Gives Healthcare Organizations The Power to Know® HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
SAS® software is used for a variety of applications in more than 1,000 U.S. healthcare organizations, enabling healthcare leaders to turn complex data into the business intelligence needed to produce the most successful outcomes.

 Q&A With Jay Srini HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
An evolving area of healthcare technology pertaining to consumer-enabling and patient-enabling technologies is sometimes referred to as “pervasive healthcare” or “unbound healthcare.” The fundamental premise is that healthcare has to follow the patient and not vice versa. In other words, care is provided in a distributed healthcare ecosystem whether the patient is at home, at the workplace or at a longterm care facility.
Jay Srini, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

 The Case for Decision Support: Safer Medication Management and Lower Costs HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Putting the right information in the hands of the right people at the right time via a systematic deployment process is a key success factor in an organization’s ability to ensure the safety and quality of medication use while managing drug costs.
Jerome A. Osheroff, M.D., Thomson Healthcare Micromedex, Gina Moore, Thomson Healthcare Micromedex

 Business Intelligence and the High-Performance Provider HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
Using business intelligence tools to transform data into actionable insights, healthcare providers can better measure, manage and improve how they do business. To this end, providers will create a list of parameters to monitor and compare with established benchmarks to measure high performance.
Lewis Redd, Accenture, R. Wesley Champion, Accenture

 High Performance: A Road Map to Payer Success in U.S. Healthcare HCT Project Volume 4, January 30, 2007
The only constant in the healthcare industry is the existence of continual change. In an ever-evolving business climate, what can payers do to outperform peers? The answer lies in their ability to harness change through a series of high-performance attributes used to define success.
Peter Kongstvedt, M.D., Accenture, Erik Swanson, Accenture

 An Integrated Planning Model in Healthcare: From Vision to Reality HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
Healthcare in the United States represents one of the most complex business environments. A typical health system is faced with multifaceted issues, including: • High exposure in the press and government due to soaring Healthcare costs • Financial impacts related to changes in Medicare and Medicaid funding and reporting • Near-term resources often controlled by non-employees (physicians) • Signifi cantly different lines of business requiring integrated data structures • Staffi ng shortages (nurses in particular) • Cost reductions in a tight and often unionized labor market.

 Benchmarking Toward Excellence HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
The Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG) recognized the value of benchmarking as a means to achieve national levels of excellence, but it had experienced inconsistent results with early attempts to drive change and improve across the organization. MCCG wanted to implement a robust operational and clinical benchmarking program. Its objectives were to build on the organization’s previous successes and to lay a solid foundation to measure future performance so that executives and management could ensure that they were meeting their targets. With the goal of re-attaining 100 Top Hospitals® status within one year, MCCG engaged Solucient® Professional Services to revitalize its ACTION O-ITM program. MCCG had been named a Solucient 100 Top Hospitals National award winner in 1993, and a 100 Top Hospitals Cardiovascular winner in 1999 and 2001.

 Bluesocket Case Study: Health First HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
Health First is a group of three hospitals located in Florida’s Space Coast, and is recognized as one of the top integrated healthcare networks in the country. When this unique organization looked to expand its current IT systems, the clear choice was a BlueSecureTM 5000 Controller from Bluesocket®.

 Bluesocket Case Study: Mount Carmel Health HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
Bluesocket® cuts wires—and medical errors—for one of Ohio’s largest healthcare systems, delivering secure patient and pharmacy records to the patient’s bedside.

 Bluesocket Case Study: Winchester Hospital HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
Winchester Hospital has provided quality healthcare for more than 90 years, and is one of three percent of the nation’s hospitals to receive Magnet Recognition for its nursing program. In selecting a wireless solution, Bluesocket, Inc. was the clear choice for its security, manageability, and flexibility.

 Catholic Health Initiatives - Developing an Enterprise Web-Based Knowledge Management System HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) is a $6.7 billion national not-for-profit health care organization consisting of 69 hospitals; 43 long-term care, assisted and independent living and residential facilities; and five community-based health organizations located in 19 states.

 EHRs Drive Dramatic Change in Clinical Practice HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
Embracing all levels and types of clinical practice, EHRs provide real-time access to key patient data, optimize scarce resources and enhance collaboration along the entire care continuum.
Manuel Lowenhaupt, M.D., Accenture, Lawrence M. Hanrahan, M.D., Accenture, Scott J. Cullen, M.D., Accenture

 EHRs in Spain: An Assessment HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
Confronted with a heterogeneous political and technological landscape, Spain is now taking steps to establish the parameters for EHR implementation.
Baltasar Lobato, Accenture

 National Trends in Healthcare Consumerism: The Responsive Healthcare Consumer HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
Past annual reports from Solucient have explored a variety of unique segments of the population — proactive healthcare consumers, influential healthcare consumers and quality-conscious consumers. This year's goal was to identify and examine one of the most important consumer segments studied to date: responsive healthcare consumers. Marketers in industries such as retail, financial services and travel have recognized for decades the importance of creating and maintaining relationships with consumers. In fact, close examination reveals that many of the largest national and international companies have shifted their marketing mix over the last five to 10 years to include much more direct-to-consumer and interactive marketing. These companies recognize that their challenge is not just to identify people who may want or need their products or services, but also to get these consumers to take action. Targeted marketing techniques enable them to identify and communicate with consumer segments that are most likely to be receptive and responsive to their marketing efforts.
Brian Frisch, Solucient, part of Thomson Healthcare, Tara Gallagher, Solucient, part of Thomson Healthcare

 Overview of EHRs in the United Kingdom HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
At this point, the U.K. is ahead of many other countries in articulating and taking action on the most challenging elements of public health provision and the role of information in the future of healthcare.
Archie Galbraith, Accenture

 Readiness HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
As payers and providers move toward a connected EHR, each must take tactical steps to play a part in the early evolution.
Joe Poats, Accenture

 Securing Physician Adaptation And Adoption of EHR HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
If it addresses their concerns and helps them provide better care, physicians will adopt a change in clinical processes.
Manuel Lowenhaupt, M.D., Accenture, Lawrence M. Hanrahan, M.D., Accenture, Scott J. Cullen, M.D., Accenture

 The French Perspective HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
To address increasing demand due to demographic changes and to improve the affordability of healthcare in France, the time has come to modernize healthcare information systems.
Sylvie Ouziel, Accenture

 The Health of Our Nation’s Hospitals HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
How did the healthcare industry fare in 2004? To answer that question, Solucient® reviewed essential measures of the U.S. healthcare system’s financial strength from 1997 to 2004, including hospital operating margins and other operational indicators.
Phil Gaughan, Solucient, part of Thomson Healthcare, Gary Pickens, Ph.D., Solucient, part of Thomson Healthcare

 Using Market Projections to Identify Growth Opportunities HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
Located in a booming healthcare market, Denton Regional Medical Center’s key challenge is choosing the right capital projects, based on accurate projections of growth opportunities. Since 1996, the hospital has relied on Solucient to help make projections that have been used to plan a replacement hospital, an outpatient imaging center and various other projects.

 Wireless Solutions in Healthcare: Expanding ‘Point of Care’ Practices and Services in Hospitals HCT Project Volume 3, November 14, 2005
The U.S. healthcare industry is presently undergoing a significant shift in its approach and use of next-generation information processing technologies that will put more emphasis on secure and reliable wireless networks as a means to improve patient relationships, provide more ‘point-ofcare’ access to critical information, and reduce the possibility of medical errors.

 Health Information Technology: Implications for Healthcare Organizations HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
In the spring of this year, President Bush established a vision of interoperable electronic health records within 10 years, and appointed David Brailer, MD, PhD to serve as the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (HIT). This established a focal point for action and captured the attention of both the health care industry and the nation.
Peter Kongstvedt, M.D., Accenture, John Quinn, Accenture, Hindy Shaman, Capgemini

 Lessons from DuPont--Culture, Cost, and People HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
Similar to the chemical industry in the 1970s, the health care industry received a safety wake-up in 1999. Health care can respond by adopting a beyond-compliance prevention mindset approach to ensure that safety is a fundamental line management responsibility throughout the organization.
Deborah L. Grubbe, P.E., DuPont

 Leveraging Standards for Connectivity and Collaboration HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
In countries other than the United States, collaboration is employed to create a seamless set of interactions between patients and all entities that contribute to a patient’s health.
John Quinn, Accenture

 Measuring a Healthy Hospital: Metrics-Based Tools for Improving Operational Performance HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
Balanced scorecard, Six Sigma, and other metrics-based tools for total quality management are being implemented by an increasing number of hospitals as part of a more holistic approach to quality management.
Ann Marie Brown, Per-Se Technologies

 Moving Forward With Wireless Voice And Converged Medical Devices HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
Communications infrastructures, such as computerized physician order entry systems, in conjunction with new workflow paradigms, are making dramatic contributions toward improving access, quality, and efficiency in patient care.

 Online Collaboration Improves Health Care Delivery HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
Through collaborative online business processes, all participants can contribute to quality improvements that can help organizations become the health care employer and provider of choice in its community.
Jennifer Langer, PeopleSoft, Inc., Jamie Wyatt, PeopleSoft, Inc.

 Population Health Management: Healthways' PopWorks HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
PopWorks, an innovative population health management system, promises to produce solutions that will not only strengthen patient-physician relationships, but also significantly impact overall health care expenditures.
Rufus Howe, Healthways, Inc., Christopher Spence, Capgemini

 Reducing Costs on High-Dollar Implants HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
While most hospitals struggle to contain cardiology and orthopedic implant costs, some facilities have reduced their costs by more than 20 percent and built better physician relationships by following 11 key techniques.
Karen J. Barrow, R.N., Amerinet

 The Collaboration Process HCT Project Volume 2, July 17, 2004
Collaboration demands a shift in relationship dynamics and an openness to change. When this occurs, payers and providers can join together to cut costs, improve patient care, and increase visibility.
Jamie Dimond, Capgemini, Christopher Bonus, Capgemini, Cy Hufano, Capgemini, Michael Einig, Capgemini

 Domestic Violence: Confronting A Healthcare Epidemic HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Domestic violence has reached epidemic proportions in this country, and yet it remains one of the least reported and most misunderstood health issues facing our society today. If fully recognized and treated like other illnesses, domestic violence would likely be as common, if not more so, than breast cancer, and far more prevalent than hypertension, colon cancer, hepatitis and many other medical conditions which healthcare providers routinely screen and treat.
Ellen Taliaferro, M.D., Polaroid

 Ed Hammond Discusses the Need for Increased Data Sharing and the Development of Collaborative Health Care Industry Standards HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Q&A Between Dr. W. Ed Hammond, Professor Emeritus, Community and Family Medicine and Professor Emeritus, Biomedical Engineering at Duke University and Barry Jacobs, Publisher of Health Care Technology.
Ed Hammond, Duke University

 Future Directions: Where Is the Technology Heading? HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
A Web Services Framework (WSF) for designing clinical information systems promises to dramatically improve the efficiency and effectiveness with which health care information is delivered and consumed. WSF is the future of clinical information systems, and this future is available now.
Chris Brandt, Capgemini, Ashif Jiwani, Accenture

 Getting Genomics Drugs to Market HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
One of the ultimate goals of clinical transformation is bringing technology to the research component of health care organizations. This is an example of how clinical transformation can bring benefit to an organization that focuses on the academic side of the vision.
Michael Barrett, Forrester Research, Bradford Holmes, Forrester Research, Allison Twist, Forrester Research

 Health Care and the Networked Virtual Organization HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Over the past decade, the Internet has allowed entire industries to incrementally transform how they conduct business. The next wave of business innovation appears to be that of the networked virtual organization (NVO), where companies evolve their core competencies and outsource remaining activities to improve productivity, cash flow, and profitability. Will the health care industry adopt the NVO business model? This white paper provides further background on the NVO concept and suggests that the health care provider community is in fact beginning to adopt some of these principles — and experiencing tangible benefits.
Cisco Internet Solutions Group Business Development, Cisco Systems, Inc.

 Information Technology in the Emergency Department HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Adhering to fundamental critical success factors while avoiding common pitfalls will increase the chance of building, integrating, and deploying a successful computer-based patient record. Organizations that strive for, and measure, improvements in patient care and satisfaction are more likely to thrive than those that measure financial benefits more exclusively.
Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., Maimonides Medical Center

 Measures That Matter HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Measuring is a way to assess and improve performance. It is important to measure the things that matter to stakeholders: the quantitative and qualitative aspects of service, quality, and financial performance.
Brent Barnhisel, M.B.A., M.H.A., Capgemini

 Patient Access HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
A patient's entry into and discharge from the hospital are points of contact that can affect the patient's satisfaction with the entire hospital experience. Fragmented information systems with disparate applications for handling patient registration, insurance and authorization processing, billing, scheduling, and clinical processes must give way to fully integrated systems to prevent loss of revenue and dissatisfied "health care consumers."
Deborah Maslia, Capgemini, Linda McAuley, Capgemini

 Providing New Solutions for Care Coordination HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Successful care management programs share common designs incorporating collaborative, inter-disciplinary care teams; information repositories; standardized communication protocols and care-management processes; continuously monitored outcomes; and reduced care team administrative tasks.
Rodd Padden M.B.A., Canopy Systems, Inc., Phil Beauchene, R.N., M.H.A., Mind My Heart, Kathleen Anderson, B.S.N., M.H.A., W.V. University Hospitals

 Question & Answer with David Muntz, Senior VP and CIO of Texas Health Services HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
David Muntz asserts that while technology is not the endpoint, it can help alleviate an escalating sense of chaos people seem to feel.
David Muntz, Texas Health Resources

 Question & Answer with Jeff Goldsmith, President of Health Futures, Inc. HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Jeff Goldsmith discusses how clinical IT will integrate a patient's history with embedded best practice guidelines to help clinicians design the best possible treatment plan.
Jeff Goldsmith, Ph.D., Health Futures, Inc.

 Special Section: Medical Safety HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Medication error and patient safety emerged as critical issues in health care in 1999 when the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released their report, To Err is Human: Building A Safer Health System. The report estimated that as many as 98,000 patients die in hospitals each year due to medical errors.
Brian Shea, Pharm.D., Capgemini, Jill Fainter, HCA, Inc.

 The Future is Now at the World's First All-Digital Heart Hospital HCT Project Volume 1, July 01, 2003
Heartfelt Vision: The Indiana Heart Hospital is dedicated to the prevention and cure of heart disease in a completely digital environment created to provide superior care, diagnosis, treatment and intervention.