mobihealthnews: “When the Palm Pre App Catalog first launched in early June it had no medical apps to offer, but among the fewapplications the App Catalog launched with was an emulator app by MotionApps that promised to bring applications from old Palm platforms to the new Pre. In other words, if you are a health practitioner who has relied on a Palm Pilot for the past ten years, now you can upgrade to a new Palm Pre and use the same applications with more or less the same user experience.” - This is good news for anyone still holding on to their old Palm OS applications. I, for one, have several as I used to be a Palm Pilot junkie. The article above goes on to list several legacy Palm OS medical applications that will now work on the Palm Pre. Darn you Verizon, when will you get some cool phones?
This week’s Cool Technology for Pharmacy is a piece of software from Zynx Health called ZynxOrder.
ZynxOrder is a knowledge management system for developing and maintaining evidence-based order sets, alerts, and reminders. According to the Zynx Health website: “ZynxOrder publishes the order set templates and software tools that enable you to measurably improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of care. The content includes more than 850 order set templates. ZynxOrder has four key components: Clinical Content, Implementation, Collaborative Technology, and Deployment.”
Zynx Health is a company composed of physicians, nurses, and other allied health care professionals that continually review medical literature and use the information to develop guidelines in the form of evidence-based order sets found in ZynxOrder. The online work environment provides users several template options for medical conditions ranging from community acquired pneumonia and congestive heart failure to post-operative pain management and bowel care. Once a template has been chosen, the user selects evidence-based treatment options from a list. Nothing could be easier.
I received a demo of the software several months ago and was quite impressed. Anyone that develops and manages hundreds of order sets will appreciate the functionality and user friendly interface that ZynxOrder offers. All order sets are stored in a centralized database and all changes are tracked via strict version control. ZynxOrder even offers an interface between the order set development software and the Siemens Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) system, allowing the user to quickly upload new and revised order sets upon final approval.
The only real downside to the software is the cost; however literature is available to support cost savings associated with systems like ZynxOrder. I think it’s worth a look.
Zynx Health also offers a monthly newsletter called Evidence Alert. The newsletter offers the cliff notes version of findings from recent medical literature. It’s free and available to anyone willing to ask.
I recently had an interesting conversation with a colleague over the use of tablet PCs in pharmacy practice. We both felt that tablets were a great tool and couldn’t understand the lack of interest in our profession. After the conversation, I felt compelled to do a little research. Rather than present the information in one giant post, I’ve decided to break it down into four parts. Part 1 is presented below.
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TheStreet.com: “Apple (AAPL Quote) will have a tablet computer in time for the holidays, but the company is still mulling how to sell it. The device, designed as a larger version of the iPod Touch, will have a 9-inch to 10-inch touchscreen and possibly a keyboard, as analysts, industry sources and news reports have outlined. An initial version of the long-anticipated Apple tablet will be subsidized by Verizon (VZ Quote), but Apple and Verizon “won’t be as tightly integrated” as Apple’s iPhone exclusivity deal with AT&T (T Quote), says one source familiar with the companies, who asked not to be named.” - I continue to be a huge proponent of the tablet form factor for computers. Their utility is infinite and I believe Apple can certainly bring something special to the table. Apple has an uncanny knack for creating wildly popular and inventive devices long after other vendors have gone stale. Let’s face facts; the iPhone has revolutionized the smart phone industry. My credit card hasn’t been out of my wallet in quite some time and it’s overdue for the purchase of a new toy. C’mon Apple, don’t let me down.
WANTED: Immediate opening for a full-time hospital on the cutting edge of technology. Must be willing to implement technology necessary to provide advanced patient care while increasing safety and efficiency, regardless of cost. Able to effectively implement open-source software as well as explore “cloud computing” and other advanced, less main stream solutions. Must be willing to use operating systems other than “Windows”. Willingness to utilize Apple computers with Mac OS X a plus. Use of tablet PCs and smart phones to extend the reach of healthcare professionals preferred. Must have great personality and be open to exploring desires of IT pharmacist to blaze a new trail through healthcare, no matter how bizarre the ideas. Desire to implement barcode technology in the pharmacy and at the bedside. Must be willing to implement smart pumps, computerized provider order entry (CPOE), advanced database design and reporting, online and electronic documentation. The ideal hospital will possess strong leadership qualities and be willing to lead the way. Hospitals that do not meet the requirements above need not apply. Interested hospitals should leave resume below.
Ok, I’ve taken a little heat since claiming that a “meaningful use” goal of 10% CPOE was weak, so I did a little digging. While collecting ammunition for my defense I came across a little blurb addressing this very issue.
iHealthBeat: “Thirty-five percent of hospital CIOs surveyed said it would take their facilities three years to achieve 100% adoption of computerized physician order entry, according to a new survey from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. Twenty-seven percent of CIOs surveyed said it would take their hospitals two years to achieve 100% CPOE adoption, while 17% of respondents said complete CPOE adoption would take four years and 13% estimated a five-year time frame to achieve 100% adoption. Only 9% of CIOs surveyed said full CPOE adoption could be achieved in one year.” - Remember that the “adoption year” timeframe is 18 months away (2011) with a 2012 start date qualifying you for the full incentive potential. This means you could actually wait as late as 2013 for full adoption and still qualify for funding. I realize CPOE is a major project; we’re struggling with it right now. Bu I still think hospitals have enough time to do this right and still get 100% usage. As the saying goes, “nothing worth having comes easy”.
One day last week I was driving home and happened by a school that doubles as a community swimming pool in the summer. The street had several large speed bumps, forcing me to move rather slowly. I’m usually irritated by speed bumps because they slow me down. This day, however, I was happy they were there because a little boy darted out in front of me. I drive a ¾ ton Ford f250 crew cab pick-up. It’s big and heavy. I have serious doubts that a child would stand much of a chance if they went head-to-head with my truck. Fortunately I was coasting along at a safe 10 MPH secondary to the speed bumps and easily came to a stop at a comfortable distance away. At that moment I was thankful for the safety feature built into the pavement on the road, i.e. the speed bumps.
AMNews: “Protecting patients from harm is medicine’s bedrock goal, but the resources required to do so have never come cheaply. With the recession taking its toll on the health sector, doctors and other medical professionals who have tackled problems ranging from hospital-acquired infections to patient falls find their efforts increasingly scrutinized on dollars-and-cents grounds. Ninety percent of hospital CEOs have cut administrative expenses, staff and services amid the recession, according to a survey of more than 1,000 chief executives released in April by the American Hospital Assn. More than three-quarters said they cut capital spending and nearly half scaled back ongoing projects.” – Healthcare administrators don’t want to admit it, but it is clear that you can put a price on patient safety. As I mentioned in a previous post, projects that directly affect patient care are being cut secondary to a lack of funding. The only real question is how much patient safety is worth. I had projects cut that ranged in cost from $10,000 to well over $100,000. What’s the ROI on reduced adverse patient outcomes? Arguments can be made for cost savings associated with several patient safety measures, but hospital administration will argue that this cost saving is “soft money” and simply can’t be tallied in a column. While this is true, we must continue to advance technology, and with it, patient safety. It’s just going to be a little tricky, that’s all.
I spent most of last week at the beach with my family enjoying some much needed time off. Because I’m a little bit of a gadget geek and enjoy playing with all sorts of electronic toys, I thought I would give you a quick glimpse of the technology that went on vacation with me. All the little gadgets were designed for pleasure, not work. Hey, I was on vacation after all.
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