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But First, Let Me Wipe the Egg Off My Face
November 1, 2007
I'd like to talk about our strong November lineup of stories, but first I have to mention that our redesigned Web site did not go live on Oct. 1 as I had boldly predicted in last month's column. As many of you know, deadlines for I.T. projects often become moving targets, as was the case here. However, the new site will be up and running in November, so please make plans to visit www.healthdatamanagement.com at your earliest convenience.
Now, on to the lineup. This month's edition is anchored by two well-researched stories on extremely timely topics. The cover story, beginning on page 24, unearths some of the hidden costs associated with the transition from film to digital diagnostic imaging. As CIOs and other I.T. executives explain in the story, hidden costs can spring up anywhere and at anytime.
For some, the contracts they signed guaranteed cost overruns because they were too vague and provided too many loopholes for vendors to slide through unanticipated costs. For others, technology issues, such as not confirming all modalities were "work list capable," led to expensive surprises.
The month's special report, page 34, focuses on decision support for computerized physician order entry systems.
At our Clinical Automation Summit, held Sept. 17-18, a panel of I.T. executives and consultants engaged in a very lively discussion about CPOE. The executives on the panel have achieved more success than most with CPOE, but were candid about their struggles to get physicians to accept it and then continue to use it. And many of their pain points with CPOE centered around decision support: Trying to develop order sets and not trying to drive physicians insane with alerts, among other issues.
A last note: you don't want to miss Charlie Caruso's My Two Cents column on page 56 on why hospitals - even small ones - should lead the way on electronic health records.
One other topic I'd like to address - a few people have asked how the delivery of our second child went. I wrote in my August column about the pratfalls that occurred during the birth of our first child. This time, things went smoothly. Every nurse and physician used the I.T. tools available to them, which, when combined with their exemplary clinical skills, resulted in a painless experience. Well, at least for me.
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