Improving Perioperative Care through IT
Surgical procedures account for a major share of a typical hospital’s overall financial performance. It is estimated that surgical services and associated care often generate around 60% of a hospital’s total revenues and some 30% to 40% of a hospital’s total expenses. Yet even as clinical information systems evolve forward rapidly in many areas of hospital operations, the vast majority of hospital organizations still have not yet fully automated their surgery processes.
Bridging the Gap
Interfacing two computer systems is like building a bridge from both sides of a river, says Sullivan Healthcare’s Wayne Gray. Careful planning and design can mean the difference between a bridge whose two halves meet gracefully midriver and one where the two halves are off by inches—or miles.
OR Clinician Crunch Eases with Information Technology
Nursing shortages in the O.R. are even higher than those in the nursing field overall, and surgical technicians aren’t available in the kinds of numbers that can fill the gap. When staffing becomes a problem in the O.R., good IT can make a difference.
The Virtues of Going Best-of-Breed
This article featured in HealthLeaders Magazine expalains why best-of-breed information technology is best for surgery.
Helping Perioperative Nurses Implement the PNDS
The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it will offer an introduction to the challenges for the nursing informatics professional assisting with the implementation of an OR information system (ORIS). Second, it will provide suggestions for the nurse who is interested in pursuing a career in this dynamic and expanding field.
Healthcare Leaders Discuss the Most Pressing Issues
The Business and Future of Surgical Services.
The Business of Surgery
The operating room is fast becoming the place where high technology meets high patient expectations---and a place where executives armed with the right information can realize high profits. HealthLeaders interviewed a panel of experts brought togethe by Surgical Information Systems of Alpharetta, GA, to explore the many variables that are shaping the business of surgery.
Innovative Use of IT Leads to Increased ROI
Samuel Mahaffey, MD, perioperative services medical director at Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC, has proven that innovative use of IT can lead to financial gain for health care facilities. By implementing a combination of technologies, including Lotus Notes and a perioperative information system from Surgical Information Systems (SIS), Mahaffey has seen an increase in revenues and charge capture, and a decrease in inventory write-down.
Battle Between Best-of-Breed and Single-Source Philosophy Continues
Given all the consolidation among health-IT suppliers in the last few years, more than a few big guns have assembled true, end-to-end integrated clinical and management systems. You want single source? You got it. Yet the ongoing national push for data and interoperability standards means it easier than ever to knit together best-of-breed solutions in Lego-like fashion.
Enterprise Integration - Defining the Landscape
Hospitals and healthcare systems use healthcare information technology (HIT) to run their core operations. Simply stated, an HIT system is like other computer systems—it consists of a computer network, software and database (that stores information). Yet, despite these similarities, HIT is different in that it performs tasks that have life or death ramifications, is exceedingly complex, and must be transacted with blazing speed for patient safety purposes.
Hospitals Get Serious About Operations
Walk into most hospitals in the United States today, and you observe a true logistical anachronism. Patients arrive in the admissions area at 5:00 in the morning, only to wait two hours before they are checked in and two more before someone preps them for surgery.