Month: May 2010

iPad + ClamCase = awesomeness?

by

There is no question that the iPad has met the expectations of most. Crud, probably exceeded the expectation of many. It certainly has redefined the slate category and is on its way to rewriting the history of that class of tablets. Apple wisely built a device that is easy to use, has an incredibly user friendly interface and is simply great for watching movies, surfing the web and consuming textual information, i.e. ebooks. For me, however there is one thing that’s missing, a keyboard.

Read more

New edition of “Keys to EMR/EHR Success” available

by

EMR Daily News: “Greenbranch Publishing announces the Second Edition of the breakthrough book for practices eager to minimize the costs, confusion and outright risks of choosing and implementing an Electronic Medical Record system. Keys to EMR/EHR Success: Selecting and Implementing an Electronic Medical Record, 2nd Edition by Ronald Sterling, CPA, MBA, paperback, 304 pages, ISBN: … Read more

IntelliDose EHR integration

by

CMIO: “Allscripts will integrate IntrinsiQ’s IntelliDose chemotherapy management tool into its EHR product suite as a new offering for physician practices. The Waltham, Mass.-based IntrinsiQ’s IntelliDose calculates and tracks the administration of chemotherapy treatments and will enable Allscripts’ multi-specialty and oncology clients to manage oncology patient care workflow, according to the company. Under the agreement, oncology practices will … Read more

RxCalc 1.1 now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch

by

After a week of sitting in iTunes store limbo, RxCalc 1.1 was finally approved and released for download yesterday afternoon. For those of you that don’t know about RxCalc, it is a pharmacokinetics calculator made by Apple Core Labs specifically designed to handle aminoglycoside and vancomycin kinetics, i.e. new starts and adjustments. It’s exciting for me because I was involved in the creation of the application. You can read more about what drove the idea and the development of RxCalc here if you’re interested.

Read more

Cool Technology for Pharmacy – LXE Bluetooth Ring Scanner

by

A recent conversation with Carla Corkern, CEO of Talyst, resulted in this week’s Cool Technology for Pharmacy.

The LXE 8650 Bluetooth Ring Scanner is a pretty neat, albeit homely, piece of hardware. The device is designed with wearability in mind to provide the end-user with hands-free operation.

The LXE 8650 consists of a ring scanner and a Bluetooth module. The Bluetooth module is attached to the wrist via a velcro strap and the ring scanner fits on the finger and is operated by a thumb trigger. The system is lightweight coming in at only 4.8 ounces (136 grams), and that includes the ring scanner, Bluetooth module, battery and wrist strap. The scanner is designed with a magnesium alloy housing so it can take a beating, something that is a necessity in the pharmacy. In addition to the magnesium housing the system is sealed to IP54 standards1 and can withstand multiple drops from up to 4 feet to concrete. Battery life appears to be pretty good and can deliver up to 17,000 scans on a single charge. I don’t know about your pharmacy, but that equates to more than 24 hours of continuous use before a charge is necessary.

Read more

Microsoft: the good and the bad

by

Microsoft has been in the news quite a bit lately, some of it good and some of it bad. The software giant has done everything from creating an incredible computing environment to building one of the most successful online gaming environments in history. And like most mega-companies they’ve collected their fair share of lovers and haters. With that said, it’s beginning to look like the haters are starting to out number the lovers.

Read more

CPOE – Giving it some thought

by

Computerized Provider – or Physician if you like – Order Entry (CPOE) is an older technology that has been in the spotlight for the better part of the past year thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and key components of meaningful use. Because of the “stimulus” offered by ARRA many hospitals across the United States will be gearing up to implement CPOE, ready or not. Currently less than 20% of the hospitals in the United States are using CPOE, and only a small fraction of those are using it for all orders throughout their facility (AJHP. 2008; 65:2244-64).

Read more

Combination RFID – Bar code reader from Motorola

by

Looks like Motorola is upping the ante a bit in the portable scanner game. They recently introduced a combination bar code scanner and RFID reader for use at the point of care. It’s not pretty, and the name could use a little marketing help, but it offers some interesting functionality. A combination scanning devices like this could be just what the healthcare industry needs as we continue to move forward with BPOC / BCMA and start investigating the expanded role of RFID tags in patient safety.

Read more