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Technology Smorgasbord Makes Choices Difficult


By Howard J. Anderson, Executive Editor August 2007
Health care CIOs face the challenge of keeping up with the very latest developments in information technologies, with new options emerging at a dizzying pace.

From a TiVo-like program that records network activity for playback later to a decision support system that instantly displays diagnosis options, dozens of emerging technologies offer a plethora of possibilities.

"We're seeing a maturation of the tools that are available," says Lucy Mancini-Newell, president at The Stellar Group, a Chicago-based consulting firm.

Evidence-based medicine is becoming a priority as caregivers look for ways to avoid errors and deliver high-quality care, says Michael Mytych, president at Health Information Consulting LLC, Menomonee Falls, Wis. Diagnosis decision support could play an important role in this arena, especially for clinicians handling rare or difficult cases, he adds.

Although personal health records have been available for a while now, a new generation of PHRs is emerging. These records feature pre-loaded data, such as prescription claims, to make it even easier for patients to build a comprehensive record that's accessible online.

"If we're moving toward a consumer-based model in health care, and consumers are becoming more computer-literate, these online records could become very well accepted," Mytych says.

Although PHRs show huge potential for getting patients more involved in their care "we still haven't connected all the dots," adds Mancini-Newell. "Just who is going to use the PHR, and for what purposes?"

Following is a summary of six emerging technologies that CIOs and other technology decision makers can consider as they weigh their investment options.

Like TiVo For Networks

The TiVo and digital video recording options have revolutionized television watching, enabling viewers to easily record programs for viewing at their convenience. A new technology called Retrospective Network Analysis offers a similar capability for computer network managers. "It's a time machine that allows you to go back in time to the point where a network problem occurred," explains Jeff Parker, managing partner with Open Water Solutions, a Chicago-based consulting firm.

The firm assisted 361-bed Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Ill., with implementing technology from Network Instruments, Minnetonka, Minn.

"Having the peace of mind of knowing that we have equipment that can capture forensic information is very important to us," says Jack King, director of I.T. at the suburban Chicago hospital, which has 361 beds and 800 physicians. The organization has a mix of wired and wireless networks linking departments within the hospital as well as 12 outpatient facilities.

Using the Network Instruments technology enables Central DuPage to easily investigate network problems or even monitor whether employees are spending time on inappropriate Web sites, King says. The technology, which relies on writing data streams to disk drives, has come in handy in supporting the rollout of Voice over Internet Protocol phones, he points out. "We can go back in time and see when a problem occurred-when a device lost access to the network-and pinpoint the problem," he says.

Diagnosis/Decision Support

One of the biggest challenges in designing a clinical decision support system is making it quick and easy to use. At Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Ill., doctors are using a new system that enables them to type in a few key words, such as symptoms observed, and then receive via the Web within seconds a list of diagnoses to consider.

"Sometimes what you need when you're making a diagnosis is a little thing that helps steer you in the right direction; it's almost like remembering somebody's name," says Napoleon Knight, M.D., Carle's vice president of medical affairs. Knight uses the system from Isabel Healthcare Inc., Reston, Va., as he treats patients in the emergency department.

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