Get familiar with EHRs for hospitals

Hospital IT jobs are growing, but clinicians may have trouble getting familiar with Electronic Health Record (EHR) software. Practically all medical facilities use health records software to help them keep track of their patients’ medical history. Due to the development of administration offices within a hospital there have been many advances that have been made in electronic health records (EHR) software which makes it easy for doctors to easily access the medical history of anyone that walks into their offices. Many offices have even begun to implement online EHR so that the information is available to doctors as well as patients. It is really important for hospital administration to pay attention to the software program that they use to manage their patients’ records. There are so many components that are involved in keeping track of records. A hospital administrator or doctor must be able to securely access information in a way that is concise and easy to understand, but at the same time they should be able to make changes and updates fairly quickly and accurately. This is especially true for large hospitals that have thousands of patients that they deal with. The ideal software must easy to use and become standardized within a practice. It should have information that is easily transferrable and accurately organized within the doctor’s offices.

Meditab offers great software for EHR for health record maintenance and organization. They have been around since 1998 and are one of the leaders in providing software for hospitals, doctors and hospital administrators. They develop clinical automation systems that support the continuity of healthcare, from conception to development their products and services maximize productivity in a medical office and improve the patient management process. Their products and services are perfect if you are looking to organize your records in a way that makes them easily accessible for doctors and pharmacists. Meditab uses the latest proprietary integration technology which is very user friendly and has been shown to produce tangible returns for those who have implemented the program. It doesn’t matter the size of your practice an EHR program can drastically improve the performance and productivity of your business. For more information you can visit their website at www.meditab.com

Job Post: Physician Consultants (McKesson activation)

Job Post: Physician Consultants (McKesson activation)
MD’s needed - Go-Live Consulting Engagement, 2-3 week engagement - Florida

One of Blue Horseshoe’s hospital clients located in Florida has a need for multiple physician consultants to support a roll-out of McKesson Horizon Expert Orders and Medical Records applications planned for late February 2013.

The physician activation team will provide 24/7 support to the client hospital physicians and staff, assisting and training them in mandatory CPOE policies. The majority of the physician activation team members will be needed for the first 2-3 weeks (includes orientation) working 12 hours on, 12 off. Some physicians supporting this activation will be needed for 4 weeks.

All candidates must be physicians. Qualifications:

• Ideal Candidate - MD who has supported multiple McKesson activations
• Acceptable Candidate - MD who has not supported a McKesson activation but has supported multiple activations for multiple healthcare software systems (some combination of Cerner, Siemens, Epic, etc.)
• Possible Candidate - MD who has supported one or more non-McKesson activations which resulted in hands-on support of one healthcare software system (only Cerner, only Siemens, only Epic, etc.)

The consultants will be contracted through Blue Horseshoe Network - hourly W2 and 1099 arrangements supported. All travel expenses reimbursed. Professional fees and expenses paid weekly on Net 15 day terms.

Please respond to Steve Post below if you have an interest in discussing this engagement or if you may know of someone who may have an interest.

Steve Pope - Recruiting Manager
Blue Horseshoe Network
Phone: 734-368-6390
spope@bluehorseshoe-hit.com

Epic Systems to add 900 jobs (great for health IT)

If you've worked in a large hospital system, you've probably run across Epic. You probably won't see this Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution used in solo or small outpatient practices. Epic is mainly used in larger hospital systems. If you're looking for an enterprise-level EHR, then you've probably evaluated Epic (along with McKesson, AllScripts, Epic, Cerner, Meditech, GE, etc.).

Epic is based in Verona, Wisconsin and they are adding 900 new jobs. The rapid growth in health IT is truly exciting, but I often wonder if we're going to see a massive "bubble effect" in this whole industry. Several years from now, most physicians will be operating on digital systems, so new implementations won't be occurring very much, but system upgrades and overhauls are what we're likely to see in the future.

Interested in a career in health IT? Get to know the major players and attend large health IT conferences like HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) which is coming up in Feb.

Health IT training programs at local community colleges

There are a number of community colleges around the country offering health information technology training programs. Let's take a look at an example in north New Jersey: Passaic County Community College

The Health Information Technology Program at Passaic County Community College allows students to gain the knowledge and skills required to collect, analyze and utilize information essential to the health care industry through a mixture of general education, professional course work and clinical experience at local health care facilities.

The Passaic County Community College Health Information Technology program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT IN ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS

• Implementation, Technical and Software Support for Electronic Health Records
• Workflow Redesign and Information Management for Electronic Health Records
• Trainer in Electronic Health Records

Passaic County Community College (PCCC) is offering new grant-funded training programs in Health Information Technology targeting both the unemployed and underemployed workers.

Job Post: Physician Champion

Would you like to have a job where your title is, "Physician Champion"? It's possible if you enjoy the world of health information technology. Here's a brief description of a current job opening:

Physician Champion
Job #: 1114226
Mission Hospitals - Physician Services
Asheville, North Carolina

Mission Medical Associates is seeking a physician champion to lead the efforts of implementation of our EMR system.

The Physician champion will advocate for the use of a newly implemented EMR system in the Asheville area. This position will promote the use of the new EMR system, while also acting as a support system for between the users and the software vendor.

Click here for more information.

AMIA CMIO Boot Camp

Have you ever been to boot camp? The American Medical Informatics Association holds a boot camp for physicians who hold leadership positions.  How would you answer this question: Are you a physician in a leadership role at a health care provider organization?

CMIO Boot Camp is designed for Chief Medical Information Officers who want to broaden and deepen their understanding, knowledge and skills in biomedical and health informatics and the current challenges in using EHRs in the health system.

Two CMIO Boot Camps are scheduled in 2010:

Spring Boot Camp
March 24-27, 2010
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
Bonita Springs, FL
 
Fall Boot Camp
September 29-October 2, 2010
Arizona

The whole concept of a boot camp is quite creative. Can you imagine the conversation at work? So, where did you go for the weekend? Oh, I was at boot camp...

AMIA’s pilot CMIO Boot Camp was so successful last October that there is an on-demand schedule of two more boot camps to be rolled out in 2010.  The Spring Boot Camp for CMIOs will take place March 24-27, at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla.  Its focus, Achieving Meaningful EHR Use, will provide a comprehensive, engaging experience for physicians embarking on CMIO leadership roles. The four-day program will provide CMIOs or those aspiring to that role with knowledge and tools essential to take the reins. CME is available. Visit https://www.amia.org/primary-links/cmiobootcamp for more information.

Click here to view the Boot Camp program from last year.

Webinar series about Health IT (meaningful use of EHRs)

It seems like we're getting bombarded by free webinars focusing on the topic of "meaningful use" of electronic health (or medical) records (also known as EHRs or EMRs). NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc. has a series of webinars on EMR/EHRs and the first webinar is today. It's titled,  "Meaningful Use Definition: An Analysis For Medical Providers." Here's a brief description:

On December 30, 2009, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) finally released for public comment, the rulemaking document that defines Meaningful Use.

Be sure to sign up for this webinar to learn:

• Why and how you can participate in the public comment period
• The rulemaking document’s relationship to the healthcare reform movement
• Why it’s important to make your EHR selection now

Over the next 60 days (January 14 through March 13) the medical community will analyze this document with the intention of helping to shape its direction. Did you know, for example, that the first incentive paid in 2011 will be based on data captured for three months in 2010?

To view the entire list of NextGen webinars, click here.

Physician Consultant in Health IT (Job Post)

This job post is from the AMDIS website:

Physician Consultant
posted 1/13/2009

Dearborn Advisors, LLC is a healthcare professional services firm that partners with healthcare organizations to maximize return on advanced clinical information technology investments. Our mission is to add value to our clients by establishing a unique leadership position in clinical systems strategy, deployment and clinician adoption by providing advisory services that measurably enhance our clients’ performance.

Free health IT webinar on "Meaningful Use"

How well do you understand "meaningful use" as defined within the HITECH provisions within the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)?

You may be interested in this free webinar that will review the topic of "meaningful use." It's titled:


Meaningful Use: An Update on Meeting Criteria for Federal Incentive Payments

Jan 26, 2010
12:00 p.m. Eastern / 9:00 a.m. Pacific

Join us for a critical eSeminar to discuss important new legislation for Healthcare IT.

The situation is clear - the Federal Government is serious about creating substantial improvements in Healthcare IT. One of the most important components of this groundbreaking legislation is to meet "Meaningful Use" requirements as defined by the government. Understanding this definition, and what it means to your organization in actual use, is crucial in today's world of tight budgets and limited capital expenditures.

Join us and we'll help you understand the specifics, the requirements on your organization, and how you can meet the directive.

Here are the speakers:

Harry Greenspun, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Dell Perot Systems Healthcare Group

Matt Krupnick
Public Policy Counsel
Dell Government Affairs

Aaron Goldberg
VP, Market Experts Group
Ziff Davis Enterprise

Click here for more information about this upcoming webinar.

My personal experiences working in the health IT industry

As many of you know, I have a passion for technology and that's why I blog about things related to medicine and technology, medical smartphones, and mobile computers like tablet PCs and notebook computers. Some of you have asked me about my personal experiences in the world of health IT, so allow me to discuss some of the things I've done in the past.

Today, I'll focus on two main areas: EHRs/EMRs and PHRs.

Electronic Health / Medical Records (EHR/EMR)

• Consulted for physicians to help them select and implement an EHR in their practice.
• Guided the selection process including EHR software and hardware requirements.
• Outlined modifications to improve clinical workflow efficiencies around the use of an EHR. 
• Developed templates and tools to help office staff improve EHR utilization efficiency.
  
• Implemented and upgraded EHR software in small medical practices.
• Made recommendations about modifying computer hardware configurations for different EHR solutions based on the needs of the practice.
• Participated in hospital committees involved in making inpatient decisions as the hospital transitioned from paper charts to electronic records and computerized physician order entry (CPOE).

Personal Health Records (PHRs)

• Incorporated health risk assessment (HRA) information to an individual's PHR to risk-stratify individual patients for specific conditions.
• Utilized the PHR information to drive health portal customization and educational consumer health information.
  
• Developed computer-based disease management programs that were customized and tailored based on specific PHR data fields.
  
• Integrated the use of a PHR to tailor electronic reminder messages about specific disease conditions.
• Automated how PHRs are updated based on electronic health claims information from major insurance companies.
• Developed an incentive program for individuals who were regularly updating their PHR data and actively engaging in health education and disease management.

I'm still involved in consulting for physicians, medical groups, and companies that are interested in leveraging health IT to improve their workflow. There are so many opportunities especially in the area of mobile health, the Internet, consumer health and disease management, and the integration of health information to measure and improve patient health outcomes. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing a bit more about my experiences working with health portals and leveraging mobile wireless technology to improve patient care. 

EHR Manager, Health Information Technology (Health IT)

Here's another health IT job description that's for a nurse, but it could also apply for other health care professionals such as physicians and pharmacists who have extensive clinical experience. Are you open to living in the South and travel extensively?


EHR Manager, Health Information Technology — Advanced Clinical Functions - CSG (Job Number: 60474829)

Tennessee-Nashville
Schedule: Full-time

Description

The Clinical Services Group (CSG) is responsible for the development and implementation of HCA's electronic health record (EHR) program. Computerized Provided Order Entry (CPOE) is one of the key supporting elements within the EHR program. This position is a corporate-level management position that provides operational support in the management and execution of information system implementations that have impact in clinical areas. The position requires an in-depth understanding and appreciation for clinical information technology; its capabilities, limitations, and impact on clinical practice. In addition to a deep understanding of the technology, this position also requires a detailed understanding of physician workflow, and all of the coordination that takes place throughout a facility in order to fulfill any type of physician order.

· Serve as the clinical subject-matter expert for facilities and divisions during the planning and implementation of increased and/or advanced clinical functions which include CPOE, clinical decision support, order sets, e-prescribing, physician documentation, etc.
· Provide coordination and support and serve as a consultant to the teams (clinicians, IT&S, HIM) implementing information systems.
· Manage issue gathering/definition, fact finding and resolution process for the implementation teams.
· Set priorities for team tasks and activities.
· Ensures communication between the project teams, the physicians and all of the affected departments during implementation.
· Exhibit fiscal responsibility by effectively managing project budgets.
· Facilitate effective communications among all team members to ensure comprehensive understanding of needs, expectations and requirements.
· Manage and conduct initial orientation at the facility level, organize and manage the clinical component of clinical information system implementations at the facility level, work in close coordination with CNOs and CMOs.
· Develop & deliver physician and staff training for trainers (train-the-trainer) and collaborate with vendors and internal resources to manage the delivery of training and education material courses.
· Evaluate the effectiveness of training strategies and materials and implement changes.
· Evaluate clinical systems to identify functional gaps and research potential solutions.
· Collaborate with IT&S in the definition and development of new or additional functionality to meet clinical needs.
· Collaborate with EHR Project management to assist in managing multiple, large-scale implementations.
· Participate in the definition of project success criteria and define metrics to be collected, analyzed and reported.
· Participate in the development of readiness assessment tools from a clinical perspective to determine readiness for various activities.
· Conduct readiness assessments, analyze results and write recommendations.
· Support evaluations of organizational support structures at the division or facility level (Physician Advisory Committee, as an example) and recommend changes necessary to support project rollouts.
· Establish minimum standards for all advanced clinical functionality builds for order sets, physician documentation, clinical decision support and problem lists to be deployed enterprise wide.

Qualifications

• College degree required. Graduate degree preferred with 7-10 years of related experience.
• Related experience must include 3 years clinical implementation experience with additional organizational or project leadership experience.
• RN or other clinical degree, with supervisory or managerial experience preferred.
• Experience in implementing CPOE systems and advanced clinicals.
• Ability to work in an office environment, attend meetings and travel approximately 50%.

Do you have what it takes to work in the rapidly evolving world of health IT? Click here to view this job post.

Free educational webinar on Dictation and the EMR by WinScribe

Physicians are always looking for opportunities to learn. If you wish to learn more about the world of technology and electronic medical records (EMR) and the use of dictation systems, then you may want to register for this upcoming free educational webinar on "Dictation and the Electronic Medical Record." This is not a certified CME activity and this is an industry-supported activity (which is why it's free). I find that these types of industry-supported webinars are often developed to market and promote certain products and services, but they can also be quite educational if they are done properly. This webinar is sponsored by WinScribe.

Here are some of the details about this particular webinar (info from LinkedIn):

Physicians who have transitioned to EMR systems from dictation platforms have reported significant declines in productivity as a result of using EMR systems without transcription support. Typical reported losses associated to EMRs equate to 1 - 2 extra hours per day, per physician spent on documentation, and 2 - 4 few patient exams per day, per physician despite claims by EMR vendors that template-based entry points will cut down on physician workloads.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

12:00 PM (EDT) - 11:00 AM (CDT) - 10:00 AM (MDT)

9:00 AM (PDT) - 8:00 AM (AKDT) - 6:00 AM (HST)

Presented via WebEx

REGISTRATION LINK (will open in a new window)

(If the registration link does not work, then you may need to be logged in to LinkedIn)

Working on a consumer health project

I sent an e-mail today to almost 900 health care professionals who are members of the social network "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals." I'm recruiting a team of physicians for a small project and I've gotten quite a remarkable response. I want to thank my readers and those who are members of the "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals" for being so responsive to my request. I hope to help physicians and other healthcare professionals improve their exposure on the Internet and so they can find opportunities in different non-clinical areas. My hope is to find additional projects for physicians who are interested in "getting their feet wet" in different non-clinical areas of medicine. It's often difficult to "break in," but I may be able to help by providing opportunities where you can work on some projects, gain exposure, and list certain accomplishments on your CV.

This current project deals with consumer health, but future projects will focus on the use of electronic health records (EHRs), data integration, and other technology-driven solutions. I also anticipate other projects in medical writing, consumer health education, etc.

To hear about future opportunities, I encourage you to join the free "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals" network and meet almost 900 other physicians and health care professionals who have an interest in non-clinical careers. By joining this social network, you may find an opportunity to explore the non-clinical world of medicine.

When will we reach 1,000 members in our social network: "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals"?

Our social network Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals currently has over 880 members. Do you think we can reach 1,000 members before the end of the year? I'm asking for your help so that we can get there.

Over the past few months, I've been referring physicians to various non-clinical opportunities (some are part-time, some are consulting projects, and others are full-time jobs). Over the past few weeks, I've developed connections in two separate companies and they are both looking for some part-time physician consultants to help with projects as they pertain to:

• Medical communications: medical writing, editing, health education, consumer health, etc.
  
• Health information technology (health IT): electronic health record (EHR)/ electronic medical record (EMR), data integration, etc.

Some of these part-time consulting opportunities may evolve into full-time positions. I encourage you to join the free Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals network and tell others about this resource. Let's aim to reach 1,000 members as we enter 2010!

Free health IT webinar on EHR/EMR

Since so many of my readers are interested in non-clinical physician career opportunities in the health IT space, I'd like to mention that there's a free webinar coming up. It's titled, "Understanding the Importance of EHR/EMR – Selecting and Implementing a Solution through Reengineering." In this case, EHR stands for Electronic Health Record while EMR stands for: Electronic Medical Record. Are the two synonymous? It really depends on who you speak to.

The webinar is by TM Floyd & Company (TMF). TMF is an Information Technology consulting group dedicated to providing innovative and cost-effective IT solutions.

To learn more and to register for this free webinar, go here:
http://www.icd-10compliance.com/webinar9.asp

Non-clinical physician careers in the world of sales

I know several physicians, pharmacists, and nurses who have decided to pursue a non-clinical career in the world of sales. I'm not talking about car sales or real estate. I mean selling healthcare products or services. Some physicians transition into the non-clinical industry by entering as a pharma sales rep (short for representative). Others go into the medical device industry and become a device rep. There are opportunities to also work with sales people and to act as a subject matter expert who complements the sales team. You can also get involved selling other services, such as promotional and marketing campaigns, technology services, and more. As we see growth in health IT, we'll see a growing need for experts who can effectively sell electronic health record (EHR) solutions to physicians and hospitals.

The world of sales is very different from the clinical world of direct patient care. In this industry, you have to build and establish relationships with your clients (and potential clients). This often means that you'll be busy entertaining clients by taking them to sporting events and dining out at fancy restaurants. Sounds great, doesn't it? (especially if you're a sports fan) It can get tiring, but if you're a social butterfly, you'll flourish. So, if you're working in the northeast, you may want to keep in mind that you can get Mohegan Sun Arena Tickets for a good price if you look online. This may be important for you if you're working in pharma since many companies are located in the northeast corridor. Head up to Maine if you get a chance and make sure to get some fresh lobster. Working in Texas? Make sure you have some Toyota Center Tickets so that you can entertain your clients to a nice sporting event. Get ready to eat some BBQ or steak if you're visiting the south. Everything is big in Texas. Remember that there are medical device companies in midwest states like Ohio. Don't forget to get your Ohio State Buckeyes Football Tickets. The locals love state football and you'll want to impress your clients. Finally, if you get a chance to do some business in Canada, I suggest that you purchase your Rogers Centre Tickets early. While you're visiting Toronto, I hope you'll get a chance to eat some great food up there.

Health IT jobs for physicians looking for non-clinical careers

With all the recent buzz about health information technology (health IT), you may be wondering: "what are the various types of health IT jobs that are currently available for physicians?"

You probably won't find many books on this issue. The health IT field has been growing over the past decade, but we're about to see a significant explosion because of the HITECH provisions within ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). Recently, I've seen more webinars and conferences on health IT then I've ever seen. There is a lot of excitement about health IT, but many physicians who are interested in a non-clinical career in health IT simply don't know where to begin.

You may not jump to a Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) right away, but there are many other types of opportunities depending on your level of training and experience. I predict a growing role for health IT consultants who can help physicians, clinics, offices, and hospitals choose and implement electronic health record (EHR) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) solutions. We will see an increase in e-prescribing usage. More physicians will rely on smartphones and other mobile computing devices on a regular basis. EHR companies will be looking for more clinical experts and consultants who can help them market, deploy, and distribute their products. Strategic partnerships will occur among companies that wish to combine resources and offer turn-key packages. Start-up companies will be looking for clinical experts and medical consultants who can help them develop marketable services and/or products. The bottom line is that I think we will see a large growth of non-clinical physician jobs in the health IT industry.

So, are you excited about information technology? Do you have strong computer skills? Maybe you should consider a career in health IT. Interested in receiving career advice from some health IT physicians? Contact me if you're interested.

Career coaching in health IT (information technology)

Would you be interested in receiving some "career coaching" advice from experts in the health IT field? Perhaps you're interested in switching careers but you don't know where to start. Maybe you've been involved in your hospital IT committee and you'd like to take your career to the "next level." Have you been thinking about a medical informatics fellowship? How about a master degree in medical informatics or in health information technology and information management?

Considering how much money will be directed towards health IT because of the HITECH provisions within ARRA, the world of health IT is a goldmine for tech-savvy physicians who are interested in pursuing non-clinical careers in this field. Perhaps you wish to learn more about: electronic health records (EHRs); decision support tools; personal health records (PHRs); tailored online messaging; disease management programs; quality improvement indicators; computerized physician order entry (CPOE); public health surveillance; natural language processing; algorithm generation; evidence-based decision support; e-prescribing; telemedicine; predictive modeling; decision support architecture and sharing; knowledge management; user-generated health information; mobile technology; data privacy and security; and much more!

If you'd like to have the opportunity to directly correspond with some health IT experts, contact me via e-mail because I may be able to help you. The other day, I had a nice phone conversation with a physician who had completed a Harvard-MIT Division of HST Biomedical Informatics Postdoctoral Fellowship. I know several other people who have trained in medical informatics and are currently working in both the private and academic sectors. I'm expanding my network and I'd like to help you get the advice you need if you're thinking about opportunities within the health IT space.

Interested in the EHR Industry?

If you're interested in working in the EHR (electronic health record) industry, it's important to stay current on different strategies that surround EHR selection. Make sure you take a look at this: EHR Partners Program

Business Opportunities in Health IT for Clinicians

There's an interesting article in BusinessWeek about Health IT (or HITECH if you prefer). If you don't get BusinessWeek, then you should consider subscribing. The world of EHRs (electronic health records) and e-prescribing solutions will experience a major change over the next several years. However, it's also good to make sure that you're about to go beyond the hype of digital health. This article talks about how the UK is currently four years behind schedule in its initiative to digitize its government-run health system. Where will the USA be in four years?

If you have a strong interest in medical informatics, but you're not sure where to begin, then start by learning more about some of the major players. Specifically, here are some of the really big companies to research:

• Allscripts
  
• Cerner
• Epic
• GE
  
• McKesson
• Siemens

The economic stimulus plan includes $19.6 billion towards health IT and hardware and software vendors will be thriving if they play their cards correctly and collaborate to provide the most effective EHR services. If you're thinking about a transition into the non-clinical world, then maybe you should subscribe to BusinessWeek and learn more about health IT.