Information Technology

Bring IT/MIS, medical informatics, data warehouse research, and clinical research staff to hear from progressive groups on emerging technological solutions to operational problems.

Friday, March 19, 2010
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Cutting the Cord: How to Change Physician Documentation Habits
Matthew J. Mulder, M.D., Associate Medical Director, EHR Department, The Everett Clinic
Prior to The Everett Clinic’s Epic implementation in 2007-2008, essentially all provider documentation was done via in-house medical transcription. Now, post implementation, medical transcription has decreased by 90 percent, a savings of $3.6 million per year. Dr. Mulder will describe the programs responsible for this achievement, including training in standard Epic documentation tools, voice recognition software, and a scribe documentation program that pairs a medical assistant with a provider to assist in clinical documentation.
Upon completion of this session participants should be able to:

Motivate providers to change documentation habits.
Decrease traditional medical transcription through use of tools available in standard electronic health record systems.
Design and implement a voice recognition dictation system.
Implement and deploy a scribe documentation program to assist providers in clinical documentation.

Friday, March 19, 2010
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Interoperability in Action
Julian Armstrong, M.D., Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, North Texas Specialty Physicians
The presentation will demonstrate an operational, interoperable EMR solution and health exchange that revolutionizes and streamlines the way health care is delivered. It will show how physicians connected through an health information exchange (HIE) portal can enhance the communication process with other providers and patients, reduce duplication of tests, and streamline inefficiencies within the healthcare system. Participants will learn how clinicians, with or without an EMR application, can securely access patient data at the point of care through an HIE, leading to improvements in the quality, safety, efficiency, and/or effectiveness of care.
Upon completion of this presentation, participants should be able to:

Describe how to use technology to enhance the relationship between providers and patients in their local community
List the various benefits, costs, estimated timeline, and funding options for implementing a health information exchange
Evaluate the benefits of various methods of rolling out electronic health solutions

Saturday, March 20, 2010
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

This Is Not a Drill! Real-Life Disaster Recovery
Nils Nesheim, Manager, Physician Applications Support; and Jean Sloan, R.N., B.S.N., Director, Physician Applications, Iowa Health System
This presentation will describe the Iowa Flood of 2008 and its impact to the delivery of health care to local communities. Presenters will outline the planning activities just prior to the flood, the execution of those plans including the teardown and relocation of 175+ servers, as well as the relocation of the WAN network end points, more than 150 staff members, and the IT call center. If you think you’re prepared for a disaster, hear about a real-life experience from those who lived through it.
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Describe the importance of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity planning and documentation.
Describe the value of Disaster Recovery exercises.
Identify potential gaps in Disaster Recovery plans.

Saturday, March 20, 2010
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Achieving Meaningful Use: Ready? Set? Go!
Thomas Yetman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Pacific Medical Centers; and Laura D. Jantos, Principal, ECG Management Consultants, Inc.
The pressure to implement and optimize EHR technology quickly to achieve stimulus funding under the HITECH Act/ARRA is causing organizations to wonder if their IT departments are up to the task. Presenters will discuss how to evaluate the capabilities of an IT department and determine what skill sets, attributes, methodologies, and processes are needed for a successful EHR implementation, and how to execute a plan that will ensure meaningful use of the new system. Participants will learn how to evaluate technical and operational gaps; determine benchmarks; establish appropriate staffing levels; and coach staff to adopt necessary skills.
Upon completion of this presentation, participants should be able to:

Evaluate the technical and operational gaps of their environment with respect to achieving meaningful use required for stimulus funding under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
Determine how to use their Information Technology (IT) department benchmarks against other ambulatory organizations to establish the appropriate level of staffing required to implement and optimize systems.
Coach the IT organization to adopt the skills necessary to implement systems effectively.

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