November 4, 2008

New HIS from Siemens
Siemens Healthcare has announced the general availability of Soarian MedSuite version 4.0.200, currently available in English and Turkish. Soarian MedSuite is a comprehensive and scalable Hospital Information System (HIS) solution that helps organizations to orchestrate complex administrative, clinical and financial processes as well as support critical business activities across the healthcare enterprise. It can deliver advanced Role-Based HIS applications to health care institutions worldwide. Soarian MedSuite is designed to be implemented quickly, easily localized for specific regions, and adapted for individual hospitals facilitating lower total cost-of-ownership (TCO) and enhanced quality of patient care.

For more information: www.siemens.com/healthcare

Definiens Announces LymphExpert
In December, Definiens will introduce its first medical application, Definiens LymphExpert, a new application designed to help radiologists analyze lymph nodes, providing volumetric insight and time modeling functions. LymphExpert is part of Definiens’ computer-aided detection (CAD) applications for the 3-D and 4-D medical imaging field. Definiens CAD applications will support radiologists in the collection of diagnostic data, reducing human error due to fatigue or data overload. The applications utilize contextual information to compare images from different modalities and over time in a consistent and reproducible manner. Definiens’ applications can be implemented in standard medical imaging systems to provide automated volumetric measurements of almost all structures, including organs and lesions.

For more information: www.definiens.com

Mobile Workstation Announced
Emtec has announced the immediate availability of its Mobile Clinical Workstation solution for the health care market. This solution integrates smart card technology, thin-client computing and mobile workstations to meet the needs of staff members, patients and regulators. Caregivers can quickly access the patient and medical information they are authorized to view in order to more efficiently provide quality care while still maintaining HIPAA compliance.

For more information: http://www.emtecinc.com/healthcare

Medical Search Engine Expanded
SearchMedica, the search engine built by and for medical professionals, recently unveiled a Practice Management search category. This new category connects medical professionals with the best practice management resources available on the Web, including the financial, legal and administrative resources needed to effectively manage a medical practice.

For more information: http://searchmedica.com

October 21, 2008

Kid-Centric Patient Education
GetWellNetwork and KidsHealth have released the first videos as part of an innovative series of family-friendly video programs to be viewed at a child’s bedside during hospitalization. Each program is brief (3-5 minutes), highly engaging, and rich in content. KidsHealth will produce more than 160 programs with versions in English and Spanish as part of an exclusive partnership with GetWellNetwork. The series will cover a range of topics, including asthma, cancer, diabetes, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus infections), and post-procedural care. Each program’s key messages are reinforced in companion educational one-sheets that can be customized and printed by providers. Through this innovative technology, hospitals can engage pediatric patients and their families in their own health care process—increasing quality and patient satisfaction—while addressing objectives from the Joint Commission and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

For more information: www.getwellnetwork.com

Barcodes & Labels
For labs that run the Cerner CoPathPlus solution, adding General Data ID/Positive cassette markers, slide label printers, and StainerShield slide labels provides a reliable and effective means for barcode identification and tracking of cassettes and slides. The combination of the CoPathPlus advanced barcoding and tracking solution with General Data’s ID/Positive will enable pathology labs to accomplish their goals of reducing errors, improving workflow and enhancing patient safety. General Data’s ID/Positive provides proven, reliable and cost-effective solutions for barcode identification of tissue cassettes and slides. ID/Positive enables labs to integrate 2D barcode identification and tracking as part of overall lab workflow so specimens are positively identified, and slides, blocks, cases and patient information are all matched without error.

For more information: http://www.general-data.com/healthcare

Automated Paper Processes
DB Technology has announced the launch of Enterprise RAS, a combination of the company's highly successful software modules RAS, RASi and RAS eForms. With its comprehensive integrated solution designed to automate and streamline a variety of paper-centric processes, DB Technology is taking the pain out of the paper silos permeating health care organizations big and small. Using Enterprise RAS, hospitals and health care facilities are now able to realize significant cost savings and operational benefits. Programs have also been established to easily migrate existing RAS customers to Enterprise RAS. Enterprise RAS is designed to reduce costs within hospitals by automating the various paper processes by capturing and organizing information into easily accessible electronic patient and/or departmental folders. These business solutions provide stakeholders with a return on investment (ROI) within a three to six month period. Enterprise RAS manages the flow of actionable information to the right people in the right format at just the right time. It provides users with access to information on-demand so they can make better, faster and more accurate business decisions.

For more information: www.dbtech.com

October 14, 2008

Endoscopic and Surgical LCD Display
Quest International’s new AVC1D0P is a 19”, high-brightness, high-contrast LCD display, developed for endoscopic and surgical environments. The AVC1D0P is High-Definition ready, supports mirror image functionality, and the 8ms response time is the fastest video response time in its class. With flexible input options, this new display is extremely versatile, accommodating multi-display configurations and remote display locations, without signal or image degradation. The AVC1D0P is both technologically advanced and visually appealing. The AVC1D0P incorporates all safety and regulatory requirements. Membrane controls, an anti-glare / anti-reflective panel, built-in liquid ingress protection, ensures image quality and investment protection.

For more information: www.questinc.com

Smart Wristbands
The HP Patient Identification Printing solution allows hospitals to confidently print a complete patient admission packet including optimal ID wristbands, privacy notices, consent forms, bar-coded labels, and time-sensitive and private documents. The comprehensive, end-to-end solution helps to diminish human error and increase patient safety with data-rich ID wristbands that contains several options including color photos and color-coded icons or shapes to indicate specific conditions or needs. The wristbands can also include scannable bar codes to embed critical patient information on the ID wristband. The HP Patient Identification Printing solution has been tested with many of the leading laser wristband providers’ media and is compatible with a number of HP LaserJet devices. The HP Patient Identification Printing Solution is available now.

For more information: www.hp.com

Updated Doc Management
MedPlus, the health-IT subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics, yesterday released ChartMaxx 5.0, a full-version upgrade of its document management and imaging (DMI) solution. ChartMaxx 5.0 features Intelligent eForms that enable immediate and discrete data capture. The ChartMaxx system’s business intelligence application allows users to objectively review and analyze operational, treatment and other information, helping health care providers to improve patient care and safety and increase compliance levels. Users can also now take advantage of the MedPlus Clinical Portal for HIEs and other third-party applications to expand the reach of critical data. Database views provide real-time information about patient encounters, physician roles, available documents, PACS images and any patient allergies and/or available laboratory results. ChartMaxx 5.0 includes improved security and permissions enhancements. Hospitals can grant individually authorized or batch-access rights to single and/or multiple charts, with escalating levels of control. The 5.0 version has been piloted at St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System of Houston and will be available for current and new ChartMaxx users in October 2008.

For more information: www.medplus.com

Document Capture
The HP Document Capture for Admissions and Electronic Medical Records Solution provides health care facilities with scalable, easy-to-use technology that saves time on capturing and processing documents, reduces medical errors and increases patient safety. By implementing the HP Document Capture for Admissions and Electronic Medical Records Solution, organizations can: scan and route important medical records into a selected medical record system to accelerate reimbursement time from insurance companies and government agencies; print bar codes with patient metadata on admissions forms and other documents, consolidating patient information in an accurate and private method that can then automatically route the information to the appropriate patient files; and permit only authorized staff to access private medical records, thereby supporting government compliance directives for authentication capabilities. The HP Document Capture for Admissions and Electronic Medical Records Solution is compatible with HP MFPs.

For more information: www.hp.com

October 7, 2008

Document Viewing in a Browser
Pegasus Imaging Corporation has released a substantial upgrade to Prizm Viewer. Prizm Viewer allows users to navigate, view, annotate and share images, CAD and PDF files residing in document management or enterprise content management systems via a web browser. The viewer works with numerous image formats and includes powerful administrative tools for user interface customization, deployment and annotation storage. Prizm Viewer v8 offers a wide range of capabilities, including the ability to view dozens of image formats through Internet Explorer and Firefox web browsers, make shared annotations on the documents, work with large images, navigate using thumbnails and search PDF documents. Document management systems may be integrated with Prizm Viewer to enforce access and usage rights.

For more information: www.pegasusimaging.com

Automated Administration
The TriZetto Group has announced the general-availability release of its QicLink Extended Enterprise 4.10 system for licensed benefits administrator customers. TriZetto’s QicLink platform is one of the nation’s most widely used applications by third-party administrators and organizations that self-fund their health benefits. The system automates and manages enrollment, customer service, claims adjudication, billing and accounts receivable, and re-pricing and payment processes. Once the Microsoft Windows platform is in place, an upgrade to QicLink 4.10 application typically takes just a weekend, and this major release is provided to customers at no cost under customers’ service agreements. The QicLink 4.10 platform release uses the Microsoft .NET-connected framework. This platform allows benefits administrators to quickly integrate TriZetto’s administration system with software that supports other business functions or that is used by partner companies.

For more information: www.trizetto.com

High-Brightness Monitor
Quest International will unveil the ground-breaking MS21i2 6MP, high-brightness, LCD, medical display monitor in November. With high-resolution, high-brightness, 21.3” grayscale display, the MS21i2 is equipped with independent sub-pixel driving, patent pending technology. Network calibration capable, the MS21i2 also features λ-Sentinel II technology. This innovative technology improves overall luminance uniformity, by decreasing variance more than 50% over uncorrected panels. This guarantees that the DICOM Grayscale Display Function (GSDF) will be within tolerance, anywhere on the screen.

For more information: www.questinc.com